Do we all remember the horror that was Grenfell Tower fire? A recent fire in the Mosaic Apartments in High Street, Slough, suggests that the failings of Grenfell have fallen on deaf ears.
The recent fire on Thursday the 22nd of August is said to have cladding of aluminium composite material, the same as which ‘allowed the fire to spread at Grenfell,’ as the BBC have stated in their recent article. The company that owns the building, Wallace Estates, admitted the cladding was in an ‘isolated area,’ though denies it is responsible for any fire and safety failings within the building.
It has also been reported that there had been a fire and safety assessment done on the building, with the results concluding that the panels were a ‘tolerable risk.’ Giles Grover from End our Cladding Scandal has announced that the building owner should be taking responsibility.
Now, a week after the initial fire took place, another BBC article has highlighted how the residents have been thrown into hotels with no knowledge of when they are to be returned to their homes. When reading residents' accounts, the failure of safety measures and care is abysmal, as there was ‘no fire alarm,’ one Mr Shelke announced. Additionally, it fell upon residents of the building to wake their neighbours, causing Mr Shelke to question what tragedy could have befallen his family had no one woken him.
Looking at the Slough Observer, it is shocking to reveal that the council knew all the way back in July that the building had the same cladding as Grenfell, with it being claimed that they had begun to act.
The type of cladding found in both the Mosaic Apartments and Grenfell has understandably been banned on buildings over 18 metres tall, though delays have occurred due to arguments and uncertainty regarding who is to pay for these alterations.
Thankfully, no casualties were found during this recent fire, though the problem remains that such cladding within these buildings can lead to catastrophe for residents. Meanwhile, in the tragic Grenfell fire, 72 people lost their lives after being trapped inside the burning building that they had been told to remain in, as mentioned in The Mirror.
Emma O’Connor, a survivor of the Grenfell tragedy on the 14th of June, 2017 states that ‘justice has definitely not been served,’ in The Independent. But why has justice not been served? Well, because of the continued failure to replace the cladding of Grenfell with one that could offer safety to residents.
The failure of many higher ups to take responsibility for these fires means history is more likely to repeat itself, as inquiries are slower. While families have spent these past few years after the Grenfell tragedy suffering in their fight to enact necessary change, the recent fire at the Mosaic Apartments will likely stir up memories of Grenfell, and the continued failure for safety measures to be taken.
