On 7 July 2009, the Housing Minister, John Healey sent a letter urging council chief executives to reassure residents about fire safety in light of the tragic fire that claimed the lives of six people on Friday 3 July at Lakanal House in Camberwell. On 10 July 2009, Terrie Alafat, Director of Housing Delivery and Homelessness in CLG sent a further letter to council chief executives highlighting a possible defect in the building that could undermine fire protection of the common escape corridors. CLG have advised councils to review fire risk assessments for any premises of a similar design. A similar letter has been send to all fire and rescue authorities. Exactly how this tragic event happened is not yet clear, and there is a substantial review underway which has yet to report back.
For LACORS (Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) guidance on fire safety relating to fire doors please use the following links :- News article : Guidance document :