The victims of the Camberwell tower block blaze

Prev

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Next

View gallery

RESIDENTS have demanded an inquiry into the Camberwell tower block inferno amid claims the building was a death trap and fire crews took too long to rescue those inside.

Relatives of some victims claimed they had been speaking to them on the telephone for up to two hours before they were overcome by smoke.

And one survivor said he waited 90 minutes before he was rescued from the fire which claimed six lives including two young children and a baby.

Others said the block’s escape routes and fire prevention measures were inadequate.

Helen Udoaka, 34, and her three-week-old daughter Michelle died in the fire at the 12-storey Lakanal House on Friday, which is thought to have started in a flat on the ninth floor.

Dayana Francisquini, 26, her three-year-old son Filipe and six-year-old daughter Thais, and fashion designer Catherine Hickman, 31, also lost their lives.

Investigators are treating its cause as suspicious, but sources said there was no evidence so far to suggest it was arson.

Eno Udoaka, 31, cousin of Helen’s husband Mbet, told her on the phone to stay in the flat with her baby because he was certain the fire brigade would rescue her.

He said: "The fire station is only five minutes away from the flats so why did it take so long for them to come? Why did Helen and her baby have to suffer such a horrible death?”

Survivor Rasheed Nuhu, his wife and two young daughters were rescued after getting to a balcony - but claimed firefighters took an hour-and-a-half to reach them.

Nuhu said: "I was surprised they didn’t get to us sooner than they did because of the trust you have in the British emergency services."

"They were what I lived for. Now everything is gone and I have nothing"

Forensic experts and fire officials have been investigating the speed at which the fire spread through the building.

Several residents have described the layout of the block, which only had one central staircase, as "a maze".

Ed Hammond, 37, an accountant who lives on the seventh floor, described the flats on the Sceaux Gardens Estate as "death traps".

The estate was refurbished two years ago at a cost of £3.5m but residents say the improvements did not include communal fire alarms or a sprinkler system.

Southwark Council insists the 1960s block meets all fire safety requirements.

But Zahera Chaudry, 21, whose sister was in a first-floor flat when the blaze broke out, added: "These buildings should have been torn down years ago."

Local MP Harriet Harman called for an investigation into fire prevention measures in tower blocks across the capital, saying: "There are many blocks with one central stairwell and questions will have to be asked about what happens when a fire breaks out."

Local Labour councillor Ian Wingfield called for a full public inquiry and Boris Johnson said: "Clearly, what we have got to do now is look at the building."

The Mayor praised the firefighters’ bravery, saying: "They have done a very, very good job in very, very hard circumstances."

A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said the response times were "impeccable" and firefighters were on the scene within five minutes.

He added: "There was no delay in getting in our attendance and as soon as we arrived at the scene we committed firefighters wearing breathing apparatus."

Brian Coleman, chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, claimed if it hadn’t been for the firefighters, the death toll would have been far higher.