Residents in Ampthill Square block with ‘disconnected fire alarms’ lucky to be alive after serious flats blaze

Published: 19th May, 2011
by JOSIE HINTON

TWO flats were destroyed after fire ripped through a Camden Town housing block on Sunday afternoon.

Fifty people were evacuated and many ­others were trapped inside their homes as black smoke spread through the stairwells of the 20-storey Gillfoot block on the Ampthill Square estate in Hampstead Road.

Fire chiefs said they received 60 “survival calls” from panic-stricken residents, requiring control officers to advise them how to stay safe while crews on the scene battled the flames. 

Six adults and two children were treated for smoke inhalation while 40 firefighters worked for three hours to bring the blaze under control. 

Fire chiefs said the cause was still under investigation, but it is thought it originated near the bottom of the building.

Residents said the spread of flames was “alarmingly” similar to a fire which broke out in the nearby Oxenholme block in 2009 when part of the timber fascia was set alight by a discarded cigarette.

Following that incident, fire chiefs warned the Town Hall to review safety on the estate and a council spokesman said steps had been taken to ensure that ventilation grills and communal hallways were kept clear. 

But tenants said this week they were concerned that ongoing safety issues had still not been addressed. 

Paul Tomlinson, sec­retary of the Ampthill Square Tenants’ Association, said the lack of communal fire alarms meant people didn’t realise there was fire in the building. “After the fire in Oxenholme we asked for fire safety notices in buildings, which we haven’t got, and it has taken more than a year to sort out all the damage to flats,” he added.

Touchi Janshah, who has lived in Gillfoot for 11 years, said he only realised there was a fire when he saw the emergency services outside.

He added: “I came out on my balcony and saw what was going on below. My five children were screaming but we couldn’t go downstairs because when we opened the door there was too much smoke outside. We just shut the door and stayed in the flat.”

Residents were advised to stay in their homes unless evacuated by firefighters but some fled in terror. 

A second-floor resident said: “The timber caught fire and within seconds thick black smoke started pouring in through my daughter’s window. As soon as we saw the flames we ran – I was in my pyjamas and the girls didn’t have shoes on.” 

A Camden Council spokesman said two families had been provided with emergency temporary accommodation and everyone else was permitted to go back to their homes.

He added: “The council takes its responsibilities as a corporate landlord very seriously and makes fire safety a ­priority. 

“Every flat within the Ampthill Square estate is fitted with front doors designed to give the emergency services at least 30 minutes to attend, evacuate and deal with an emergency in the event of a fire. 

“In addition, each floor has fire doors to prevent the spread of fires throughout communal areas. 

“Each tenant is provided with details of evacuation procedures in the event of a fire and we actively encourage our residents to undertake a home fire safety check with the London Fire Brigade.”

Individual smoke alarms are installed in each flat.

St Pancras and Somers Town Councillor Roger Robinson said: “It is very worrying that after all the construction work on this estate that this has happened. I am asking for a full inquiry into this event so we can make sure it doesn’t happen again.”