omfg that PHOTO.
how awful!
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The situation is apparent and disgusting. I feel shame at being a taxpayer in this country, and this happening. I thought we were beyond this kind of awfulness.
There is little speculation in the media about the number of dead. I think they have counted six from jumping. There are countless stories of children being caught in the midst of it all.
It remains a tragedy to be poor.
I am appalled.
I will drive for safety measures in my local area. I will do this.
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They are not stupid, just greedy. Sprinklers cost money; fixing stuff is expensive; using nonflammable cladding is not cheap, and who’s ever going to start a fire from the outside, amirite?
Greed is good, greed trumps all.
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Apparently this stuff is pretty common http://www.fireengineering.com/content/dam/fe/online-articles/documents/2015/Valiulis.pdf And that needs to change.
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I agree.
I was remarking on their systematic deflection of issues.
But the root cause is greed, plain and simple.
I saw this on BBC America last night. I am still upset.
Those images haunted my sleep.
I’ve seen too many real-life close calls before.
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I think you slightly mis-spoke there: greed is god.
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the plastic interlayer is supposed to be treated with fire retardants.
How much do you want to bet the Chinese sourced product is missing the fire retardants.
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Thank you. Another example of corner-cutting.
This is happening all over the world, in allegedly-modern countries.
Government can’t do anything because it isn’t allowed to do anything.
Then one hand washes the other.
12 reported dead now, according to the BBC
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That’s an appealing thought, but inaccurate. Government governs. There is a massive, massive failure here. Government can do anything.
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Isn’t this tower what is called “council housing” in the UK? Isn’t the management company an ALMO which are not-for-profit? Is there something I’m missing here considering all the greed and profit comments? I’m not familiar with the in’s and out’s of council housing management.
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Yeah, statistical mis-match.
They should have compared against YTD correlations.
Justifying a reduction in fire deaths before the fact in order to justify a reduction in firefighters after the fact:
“Thanks for your many years of service! You can now retire as all buildings and accidents have been prevented for the foreseeable future!”
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Same story on this side of The Pond.
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It’s a company limited by guarantee
Emphasis will be on low cost
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I’m talking about the manufactured probability for failures as pretext to reduce government efficiency in order to justify further cuts to services, thus making more money for the private-sector.
This was not manufactured in the sense that someone wanted a catastrophic fire.
It was manufactured in the sense that bureaucratic procedures led the justification for foot-dragging on solving public-funding issues for people who were considered less-desirable. So that people with more money could get what they want.
And what did the people with more money want? New development in a rich neighborhood while “slapping some paint” on the time-honored problem of housing people with low market value.
Attracting new people and cycling out tenants who can’t pay inflating costs in a rich-person-only real estate market (read: rich-person-only gentrifying neighborhood). Eventually, redeveloping the property for tenants with more money altogether.
These were people without money that the higher-ups might see as figurative dead weight because they can’t figure out how to use them to their advantage.
Well, now they’re “dead weight” for real. It’s atrocious.
I bet questions are already being asked how such a tragedy can be used for political gain? The political shuffle will continue roiling the same stew.
Sure, government can do anything by forcing compliance. But compliance is inefficient in a rapidly-shifting marketplace of opportunists.
The politicians are looking to saddle their opponents with all the burdens of regulation while they themselves take on none of the responsibility. Winners, indeed.
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Saw one of the firemen this morning say they had rescued 60-some people, some got out themselves… but there were over 100 apartments, i’d guess most with 2+ people living inside.
They did not say anything about how much of the building they had searched to get to 12 dead.
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The other thing that one is reminded of is Ronan Point.
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–It’s also possible that it wasn’t installed properly. A gap between the building and the new cladding would tend to enable the chimney effect. Poor installation is made as least somewhat more likely by the fact that this is a retrofit onto an existing building, which is inherently going to involve more fudging than new construction.
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And Lakanal House
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