Residents living in a Bromley housing block that has caught fire twice in the past two years have ‘had enough’ and claim they don’t want to live in the complex any more.
A resident living two floors below a unit that went on fire said tenants are being rehoused as far away as Dartford.
A block in St Mark’s Square in Bromley town centre caught on fire on Thursday morning, August 15, with eight fire engines arriving at approximately 9.50am.
Two people were hospitalised as a result of the blaze on the tenth floor that spread to the level above through a balcony on the block, called Varney Court.
The fire likely started due to an electrical event within an extension lead on a tenth floor balcony, a London Fire Brigade spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).
It was reported that the complex was still undergoing repairs from a fire on the 15th floor of another block, Brouard Court, that damaged the slanted roof of the building on July 4 2022.
Josh Cope, 31, has lived in a flat two floors below the unit that caught ablaze yesterday in Varney Court with his partner and daughter for five years.
He said his partner rang him in a panic when the fire started and he came home from work to find firefighters putting out the blaze.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “I don’t want to live here, I’ve had enough. I’ve completely had enough, it’s just getting too scary.
"Part of me wonders if the building is safe. My whole family is asthmatic… I do not feel safe here.”
The resident said the incident has led to housing association Moat Homes rehousing the tenants of Varney Court to units in Sidcup, Blackheath or further away in Dartford.
However, the tenant said his profession requires him to be near Bromley as he would be unable to afford commuting from further away.
Mr Cope said: “Everyone’s in the same position. Luckily, we’ve got family locally who are on holiday so they said that we can have their house for two weeks, but after that I don’t know where I could end up.”
He added: “They offered me Dartford yesterday or Thornton Heath and I said I can’t because all my work is this way.
"I can’t go that far because at the end of the day it’s going to cost me £130 in travel a week to get to work.”
Paulin Ngon, 39, has been living in Brouard Court for the past four years.
The leaseholder said he didn’t find out about the blaze until he came back from work and saw the crowd that had gathered in the square.
He told the LDRS: “It was a little bit of a shock because this is the second time, the roof has been burned already. It looks like they haven’t learned their lesson. What they should have done is inspected all of the flats to make sure no one is doing something dodgy because we have already had a fire here.”
Mr Ngon said he feared the whole St Mark’s Square complex could have burned down during the fire in 2022.
He said he now feels unsafe in his building and is worried about being able to insure his flat in future due to the repeated incidents.
Another resident living in Varney Court, who wished to remain anonymous, said they rushed home from work as soon as they heard of the fire.
They told the LDRS: “It’s sad because you see someone above who was innocent and had nothing to do with whatever was going on has had their flat destroyed, so that’s the fear.”
They added: “It makes me feel insecure and unsure because it makes everything more difficult. We never know which is next, it’s too often.”
The St Mark’s Square development was developed by LandsecU+I and built by contractors McLaren.
The scheme includes 200 flats, 62 of which were purchased by Moat Homes for affordable housing and shared ownership schemes.
A spokesperson for St Mark’s Square told the LDRS: “We know yesterday’s fire would have been extremely frightening and concerning for residents.
"Our thoughts are with all of those who have been affected. Fortunately, no residents were injured and all life safety systems operated as they should which enabled the London Fire Brigade to extinguish the fire swiftly.”
They added: “Ensuring residents are supported and the buildings are safe continues to be our top priority. Work is underway to repair any damage caused so that people can return to their homes as soon as possible.
"We are also supporting the London Fire Brigade with their investigations and await their findings. We would like to thank all of the emergency services who attended the incident for their swift actions.”
Anne Brighton, Director of Neighbourhood Services at Moat Homes, told the LDRS that the housing association was aware of how upsetting the incident had been for its customers, their neighbours and the wider community.
She said the company’s current focus was to make sure its customers were safe, supported with anything they needed and had alternative housing.
She added: “We’ve worked closely with the Bromley Emergency Planning team, and we will continue to work with the managing agent of the building to provide further support and reassurance and with the London Fire Brigade to understand the cause of the fire, which is currently unknown.
"We’ll remain in close contact with our customers to make sure they’re updated and aware of the next steps everyone is taking.”
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson told the LDRS that it had worked alongside Bromley Council to set up a rest centre for residents temporarily displaced from the incident and to pick up items including clothing and medication.
They said the fire brigade would be offering support and advice in the community where needed, including the brigade’s Home Fire Safety Checker.
They said: “The Brigade worked closely with emergency service colleagues to ensure the safety of residents and I’m pleased to confirm no members of the public sustained any injuries… A post-fire safety audit has also been scheduled to take place next week at the building affected by the local area safety team.”
The spokesperson recommended not to overload extension leads and to use fused inline models as opposed to plug-in cube extensions.
They also advised not to have ‘power-hungry’ appliances such as kettles, toasters and microwaves on the same extension and to fully unwind drum extension leads to prevent potential fires from overheating.
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