2009 Lakanal House tower block fire
| Lakanal House | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Status | Damaged |
| Type | Apartment |
| Location | Camberwell, London |
| Coordinates |
TQ 334 768 51°28′29.57″N 0°04′47.54″W / 51.4748806°N 0.0798722°WCoordinates: 51°28′29.57″N 0°04′47.54″W / 51.4748806°N 0.0798722°W |
| Construction started | 1950s |
| Completed | 1960 |
| Opening | 1960 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 14 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | F.O. Hayes (Camberwell Borough Council Architect) |
| Developer | Camberwell Borough Council |
| Structural engineer | W.V. Zinn |
| Main contractor | John Laing & Sons Ltd. |
The 2009 Lakanal House tower block fire was a fire that occurred on 3 July 2009 in Camberwell. London. Six people were killed and at least 20 people were injured when a fire developed and spread through a number of flats in a twelve storey tower block.
The fire, in which six people died occurred in Lakanal House (grid reference TQ 334 768), a 14-storey tower block which forms part of the Sceaux Gardens Estate, Camberwell. Lakanal House has a total of 98 flats. It is 137 feet 6 inches (41.91 m) high. The building dates from 1959. It is made up of two bedroom maisonettes of a distinctive interlocking design. The flats are entered from the right or left side of a central access corridor. On the access level there are two bedrooms and a bathroom. There are stairs to the upper level where a lounge and kitchen which stretches across the full width of the block. This means that the lounge for each flat is above one of the bedrooms of that flat and one of the bedrooms of the flat on the opposite side of the access corridor. The flats were built with fire exits from the lounge and the kitchen to 'exit balconies' on either side of the building and also a fire exit from the largest bedroom into the central access corridor, separate from the front door.
Southwark Council stated that it had recently spent £3,500,000 on refurbishment to meet current fire safety standards.
At 16:20 BST (15:20 UTC) on 3 July 2009, a fire broke out in one of the flats of Lakanal House. London Fire Brigade responded with a total of eighteen fire engines attending the incident. The seat of the fire is thought to have been in a flat on the ninth floor.
London Fire Brigade rescued a number of people from the flats. The injured were taken to Guy's Hospital, King's College Hospital and Lewisham. One person admitted to Guys Hospital and two people admitted to King's College Hospital later died, as well as three people who died in the fire. Nine other people were treated at an emergency centre set up by Southwark Council. One of the firemen was also admitted to hospital after being injured while fighting the fire.
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