Firefighters face the grim aftermath of the Camberwell fire PA

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AN INQUIRY is to take place into the south London fire that killed six people after the local council unanimously backed an emergency motion calling for a probe.

The meeting of Southwark Council heard that an investigation into the blaze in Camberwell that claimed the lives of three children, including a three-week-old baby, was needed "at the earliest possible opportunity".

Dayana Francisquini, 26, and her children Thais, six, and Filipe, three, were killed when they were trapped on the 11th floor of Lakanal House, as well as Helen Udoaka, 34, and her three-week-old daughter, Michelle, and 31-year-old Catherine Hickman.

Cllr Ian Wingfield told the meeting: "It is imperative that a full and independent public inquiry be held at the earliest possible opportunity... Let's not treat these needless deaths as statistics."

"If we are to regain residents' trust we need to open up, not to cover up"

He added: "If we are to regain residents' trust we need to open up, not to cover up. We need to take responsibility and show political leadership."

Concerns were raised following the tragedy about the design of the building and a number of other structures with similar layouts.

Several residents have described the complicated layout of the tower block, which had undergone a £3m refurbishment two years ago, as "a maze", which made the evacuation difficult.

Police forensic officers and fire investigators are still trying to find the cause of the fire and discover why it spread so quickly.

The council meeting was told there were more than 200 high rise blocks with "single-exit enclosed fire escapes" in the district, plus about 4,500 properties with six or more storeys.

Councillors also backed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government John Denham's appointment of Sir Ken Knight, the Government's chief fire and rescue adviser, to report on the various investigations into the fire and asked for assurances that the information would be shared with Southwark and other housing authorities urgently.