Review into major fire at Battersea council flats calls for programme of roof inspections

Mr Quirk recommends Wandsworth Council take expert advice on both the cause of the fire and its “rapid spread” within the roof space of the five-storey building.

His report also calls on Wandsworth to design and deliver a programme of roof and communal void inspections, and to share learning with other landlords to inform wider practice on “compartmentation, roof construction and fire spread in similar post‑war blocks”.

It also reveals the roof void of Fox House was not inspected in the council’s most recent fire risk assessment, which was completed by independent experts in 2022.

The fire’s cause is still under investigation by the London Fire Brigade, but according to a recent update from the council, early findings suggest the rapid spread was “linked to the roof void design”.

Mr Quirk’s report said: “While the cause of the fire was not clear, the cause of the spread of the fire was obvious.

“The fire had spread across the roof space in around 10 minutes – a space that is several metres wide and more than 50 metres long.”

He later added that this rapid spread of the fire may indicate a “weakness of adequate compartmentation” in the roof void at Fox House.

Firefighters quickly arrived on scene at 7.20pm on 10 September, and evacuated more than 100 residents.

At the time there were 29 council tenant households, five leaseholders and three families in temporary accommodation.

Around two-thirds of residents had nowhere to stay overnight and needed the council’s help. Mr Quirk said that hotel and emergency accommodation for displaced residents could have been “organised more smoothly and satisfactorily”.

He added: “With dedication, [staff and councillors] worked hard into the night, extending into early the next morning. But, as there often is in the first few hours of an emergency, there were practical, logistical and communication missteps that hampered the first few hours of their aspect of the multi-agency response.”

Mr Quirk said the council then made an “unreasonable request” of residents who had been evacuated and were living in hotels to go to the homeless families unit the next morning.

But the council’s response “improved dramatically” the next morning on 11 September, the report added. In “very short order” the housing department identified alternative permanent accommodation for those who were displaced, including allocating homes in a new housing development near to completion.

The former chief executive also praised the council’s “swift” action to install a waking watch on other similar or identical blocks nearby, and hire a specialist fire protection contractor to assess the work that may be required.

Responding to the review, Wandsworth Council said the report makes “clear recommendations” which it is implementing without delay, including fire safety inspections, remedial works and diagnostic checks on roof voids. 

Simon Hogg, leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “We recognise the disruption and anxiety this incident caused local people.

“While emergency support was provided immediately, the review acknowledges that the first night was challenging, with delays in arranging hotel accommodation and gaps in communication.

“By the following day, a community support centre was opened at York Gardens Library, with named caseworkers, financial assistance and practical help for affected households.

“I am pleased to say all secure tenants were rehoused within 16 weeks.”

A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said: “To date, we have not been able to fully access the building and have therefore been unable to conduct a full investigation into the cause and progression of the fire.”