Twinnell House residents demand answers on ‘inadequate’ fire safety measures

Residents of tower blocks in Easton and Lawrence Hill will press council chiefs for answers on fire safety measures.

After a fire killed one person and injured eight at Twinnell House council tenants are now demanding fire marshals and new sprinklers.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees and cabinet member for housing Tom Renhard were both invited to come to a meeting, set up by tower block residents, on Thursday to hear their concerns about “inadequate” fire safety measures. It is unclear if either has agreed to attend.

Some residents, according to community union Acorn, said they lacked trust in Bristol City Council to keep their homes safe.

The council previously said fire safety measures worked as expected at the fire at the tower off Stapleton Road on September 25 and is spending £1m on inspections.

Following last weekend’s fire in Twinnell House in Easton, in which a father of seven sadly lost his life, members living in tower blocks in BS5 have started to mobilise out of concern for their own safety.
>> pic.twitter.com/nzhRP8vt73

— ACORN Bristol (@ACORN_Bristol) September 29, 2022

Jess, who did not give her surname, lives at Lansdowne Court on Easton Road. She said: “The advice we have from the council claims they have already put safety measures in place, which we as residents know still have not been implemented. For me, that’s the scariest part.”

Acorn said residents are demanding regular fire safety checks, sprinklers, and marshals around the clock until full safety measures are in place. Twinnell House residents previously said they did not hear fire alarms and the evacuation was chaotic.

The ‘public accountability meeting’ will be held on Thursday from 10am at the Easton Christian Family Centre on Beaufort Street. Also invited is Fiona Lester, head of housing management and estates. The council was asked if the three bosses had agreed to attend but did not respond to requests.

Update on Twinnell House and the response

Read Here – https://t.co/0a1Se6DxQt pic.twitter.com/yVCU5qcvb6

— Marvin Rees (@MarvinJRees) September 26, 2022

Shaban Ali lives at Barton House near Netham Park. He said: “After the Grenfell tragedy, any death caused by fire in a high-rise is one death too many. It’s obvious no lessons have been learned and nobody wants to take accountability, nor put it right for remaining residents.”

The council’s cabinet has agreed to spend up to £1m on inspecting its 62 high-rise tower blocks across the city for fire safety measures. These inspections are needed under new government regulations coming from the Grenfell Tower inquiry.

During the cabinet meeting, in which the mayor criticised opposition councillors for not attending, Rees said: “That fire (in Twinnell House) broke out in a top-floor flat, didn’t spread, our cladding didn’t combust, the fire was contained within the flat, and the fire service had access to it. We didn’t need a full evacuation in the end, but when people were evacuated it was done in an orderly way. It should give us confidence in the measures in place in our blocks of flats.”

Father-of-seven Abdul Jabar Oryakhel, 30, died after falling from a window on the 16th floor of Twinnell House, while eight residents were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation. According to the council, the fire was caused by an electric bike.

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read next:

• Twinnell House: Man dead and eight in hospital after fire in tower block 
• Dozens of vehicles set on fire across north Bristol
• Big Jeff seriously injured in fire
• ‘Bristol can’t be truly sustainable while persistent social inequalities exist’

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