Tower block enforcement notice following fatal fire22 March 2011A south London tower block is the subject of an enforcement notice following a fire last month on the sixteenth floor in which two people died. London Fire Brigade have released details of the enforcement notice, which was served on 15 February on Lewisham Homes, owners of the Marine Tower block in Deptford. The enforcement notice sets out breaches of five articles of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. These include a failure to review the fire risk assessment, inadequate protection of emergency escape routes, inadequate maintenance of fire doors, and failure to establish an appropriate emergency plan. Lewisham Homes has been given until 15 August to complete the work to ensure compliance. Following the fire, resident Sandra Clarke was charged with manslaughter and two counts of arson. A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: “An audit of the building was carried out after a fire in a top floor flat on 4 February. The cause of the fire is under investigation by fire officers and police. “Enforcement notices are regulatory documents which inform the body concerned that the buildings concerned fail to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, and that they are legally obliged to take corrective actions within a set timescale.” A Lewisham Homes spokesperson said: “We are implementing all the required actions and will fully comply with the notice by the set deadline. We are not able to comment further until the current investigation by fire and police officers has been completed." |