Apartment building evacuations continue in London in wake of deadly fire

London —  The evacuation of hundreds of London public housing residents from their apartments rolled on Saturday as the fallout from Britain’s deadliest fire in generations continued to intensify and turn into a full-blown crisis.

More than a week after a council-owned west London residential tower block caught fire, leaving an estimated 79 people confirmed or feared dead, residents on the Chalcot Estate in Camden, north London, were informed late Friday that their homes were also at risk.

Some 650 homes were evacuated, forcing hundreds of people to hastily pack suitcases and ask to stay with friends and relatives, or take shelter in hotels or a leisure center where inflatable mattresses were set up until a more permanent solution could be provided.

The leader of Camden Council, Georgia Gould, said she had acted on the clear guidance of the fire department, which said residents’ safety could not be guaranteed after tests showed the estate’s five tower blocks had cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower.

Issues around the insulation of gas pipes and fire doors were also discovered during the safety checks and residents were told to expect to be out of their homes for up to four weeks while vital improvements were made.

One of the five buildings was later deemed to be safe enough for residents to return but four others remained out of bounds.

“Having to evacuate people from their homes is always going to be distressing for those residents, especially when we have to do it at such short notice,” she said. “I know some residents are angry and upset, but I want to be very clear that Camden Council acted to protect them ... Grenfell changes everything, and we had to act fast.”

A fire engine parks outside Braithwaite House residential block in Islington in north London on June 24, 2017. Residents of 650 London flats were evacuated due to fire safety fears in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, but 83 people refused to leave their homes.

(AFP /Getty Images)

Still, there were heated exchanges with some residents, some of whom said they had only found out they were being evacuated from their homes by watching television Friday night.

During one such confrontation, a 72-year-old with emphysema challenged the council leader Saturday morning, saying she had spent the night sitting in a chair outside her home because she was told she could not enter temporary accommodation with her dog.

“I am so absolutely stressed,” she told the council leader. “Why was hotels not looked at before we were all evacuated?”

“What do they want me to do with my dog? Put my dog to sleep?”

A few dozen residents refused to move, which Camden Council said was an issue that would have to be dealt with by the fire department.

The government has been ordering urgent tests on the estimated 600 high-rise residential buildings across the country in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and is urging all public and private landlords to test their buildings.

The Premier Inn hotel chain has also raised concerns about the cladding on some of its buildings and has sought expert help to address those issues.

On Saturday officials said 27 blocks in cities across the country including Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth had also failed fire checks but so far Camden was the only area where evacuations had taken place.

“This is now a nationwide threat and the prime minister needs to get a grip,” Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said.

Officials said Friday that the blaze started in a faulty refrigerator, but the cladding installed during a recent multimillion-dollar refurbishment of Grenfell Tower is believed to have exacerbated the inferno, which consumed nearly all 24 floors in about an hour.

The cladding, made of an aluminum composite material, has been banned in the U.S. and Germany.

Police announced they were considering filing manslaughter charges and have launched a criminal investigation which will look at every company that was involved with the building and renovation of the tower.

Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a public inquiry into the tragedy and established a $6-million fund for victims after initially being severely criticized for her response to the fire and failure to adequately gauge the public mood and outrage.

Camden Council said it has spent $640,000 on hotel rooms and a $128,000 fund was available to provide the displaced with food and drink and was dealing with an “unprecedented” operation to ensure tenants in its public housing were safe.

Boyle is a Times special correspondent.