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It is a well known problem with polystyrene clad tower blocks. Here is one in France burning: Fire Engulfs the Entire side of a High Rise building - YouTube[^]
It is very common these days; take an old, ugly concrete tower block, clad it in polystyrene and a skim of render.
In Germany they have had to add fire breaks at every floor, not sure these will help that much, but, like sofas and other soft furnishings in houses, why isnt it done with flame retardant materials?
This is an absoloute no brainer, it is obvious polystyrene is unsafe, how the hell, in Europe, did this ever get allowed?
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*in before thread gets hijacked by 9/11 conspiracy nuts*
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We do no fear conspiracy nuts. We have plenty of government squirrels and hamsters.
* CALL APOGEE, SAY AARDWOLF
* GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
* Never pay more than 20 bucks for a computer game.
* I'm a puny punmaker.
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What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?
The metaphorical solid rear-end expulsions have impacted the metaphorical motorized bladed rotating air movement mechanism.
Do questions with multiple question marks annoy you???
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Munchies_Matt wrote: how the hell, in Europe, did this ever get allowed?
Because money talks and it's not as though the builders live in the monstrosities they erect.
This space for rent
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One word. Building regs. Site inspection, building regs should have picked this up.
Look, even dot and dab plaster boarding in the UK requires a solid line of the mortar-glue across the board to stop a flue, and fire progress, up the back of the board and into a intentional ceiling-floor cavity. This is how tight rules are in the UK. Every hole through block work must have a lintel, even a 100mm one for a toilet pipe.
And they can look at acres of polystyrene going up and not think, 'hmm, fire?'
It staggers belief.
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Munchies_Matt wrote: One word. Building regs. Site inspection, building regs should have picked this up.
The building occupants in fact reported the impending dangers to the regulatory authorities, but as Pete said, Money Talks. As in, the authorities took a nice bribe and they kept quiet about it.
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>the authorities took a nice bribe and they kept quiet about it.
Not so, the building met the regs. Thats the problem, the building regs dont cover this. That is about to change though...
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Munchies_Matt wrote:
This is an absoloute no brainer, it is obvious polystyrene is unsafe, how the hell, in Europe, did this ever get allowed?
Money - or how to bring insulation up to C21 standards at lowest possible cost.
(Beyond this I'd have to go to the soapbox)
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The company that installed the stuff in London has subsequently ceased trading, they didn't install fire breaks and the product was more of a decorative cladding to modernise the look of the towerblock than an insulation.
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Looks like there is speculation in the media that it was caused by a faulty fridge. Horrible.
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A 30 watt installation, takes down an entire building, and kills what, 50?
All because of using polystyrene.....
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Whilst we should learn from and act upon all of the failures and lapses, perhaps now is the time to rally round and help those that are made homeless and to grieve for the dead. I'm sure blame will get assigned at the appropriate time. It's horrendous.
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Amen !
![Rose | [Rose]](https://codeproject.freetls.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif)
p.s. however, imho, a discussion of the causes with the 'moral intention' of trying to correct the cause, or to organize to effect a remedy, in order to save others, is praiseworthy. and, imho, expressions of outrage are understandable: their danger is, perhaps, that one can feel a sense of 'closure' with the issue psychologically after the catharsis without having any real effect beyond oneself.
but, who is fit/capable of judging intention in themselves, let alone in others ? i know i am not: yet i do, and most often my unreliable compass seems to be "gut instinct."
«Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.» Miss Piggy
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Its time to strip every tower block of polystyrene, right now, to make sure this cant happen again.
If the landlords object, make it law for the tenants to withhold rent until it is done. You could get that bill through parliament in no time.
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Not unreasonable especially as I suspect most of the landlords are the local councils as is the case here...
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Do we put profit before life or not? That is the very simple question we have to answer.
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Munchies_Matt wrote: Do we put profit before life or not?
No - life first.
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The death toll is probably in the hundreds. 600 people were registered at the tower block, poor, minorities, immigrants, etc, so there might have been 1000 actually living there.
87 are in hospital. I dont know how many survived, but I would say no one above half way judging by the fire.
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Not only the facelift: 20 residential floors - one stairway. And most of the elderly in the building were told "in case of fire, shut yourself in the flat, and wait for rescue"...
Heads should roll, but they won't. I have no doubt that "lessons will be learned" however. And just as quickly forgotten. 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Apparently there was no sprinkler system installed either. I thought we had standards in the UK. Seems not.
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Oh we do - and for individuals building an extension they are (or were) enforced pretty solidly.
But remember why DD wanted to get voted onto the council? To get access the the planning committee ...
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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I didnt know that.
The failing here is that building regs dont disallow flammable cladding. It is utterly stupid that they dont. This kind of thing should be done better in a country like the UK, it isnt as if it is some pisspot third world dump with no standards at all.
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