Someone set light to pram causing tower block fire

Dear Ed, I SHARE John Bloxam’s concerns following last year’s fire at Lister House in Bethnal Green, especially in light of the Camberwell tragedy last month. The fire at Lister House in 2008 was caused by someone setting light to a pram left in the communal area

Dear Ed,

I SHARE John Bloxam’s concerns following last year’s fire at Lister House in Bethnal Green, especially in light of the Camberwell tragedy last month (Advertiser Website letters July 13. Our Health and Safety manager also met him to discuss his points.

The fire at Lister House in June, 2008, was caused by someone setting light to a pram left in the communal area. We reacted swiftly by repairing the damage and repairing four fire doors. We worked with neighbourhood police and the fire brigade to find the culprit.

Every resident received a letter highlighting the dangers of storing items or discarding bulk rubbish in communal areas.

We carry out regular safety audits of the blocks we manage to keep the risk of fire to a minimum. Our caretakers routinely check for obvious hazards. They remove daily one of the biggest hazards, bulk rubbish in communal areas.

Within 48 hours of the Camberwell fire (in which four children and two women died), Tower Hamlets Homes carried out an investigation of the 13 East End tower blocks with similar construction, checking fire doors and making sure any items and rubbish causing a hazard were removed.

We are inspecting all buildings with eight or more storeys in July and August. This includes Lister House, where we have already carried out an initial inspection which assessed the fire doors as providing a high level of protection—but in need of repair, which was carried out last week.

Gavin Cansfield, Chief Executive

Tower Hamlets Homes

Jack Dash House, Millwall, Isle of Dogs