NY wrote
Rod Speed wrote

It really needs a building wide PA system so that everyone can be told at
once.

I wondered about a tannoy on a fire engine "broadcasting" to everyone in
the building, but I bet even that wouldn't be heard.

Yeah, wondered about that myself. I agree that its
unlikely to be heard by everyone, tho I spose its
better than nothing.

Still not convinced that a full scale evacuation would
have worked very well tho with a single staircase and
the smoke clearing system out of action. Might do I
spose given that the fire was outside.

The whole concept of "stay put in the event of a fire" seems to be in
direct contravention of the instructions that you hear (eg in public
information films, in the days when those were shown on TV) "Get out, and
stay out". Thankfully a lot of people disregarded the instructions - which
was the right thing to do *in that situation*.

The difference is that the flats were fire rated for 60? mins
normal houses arent. Certainly with all but the mega inferno
of the whole of the outside on fire, remaining would have
worked for all but those in the flat where the fire started.

A building with only one staircase seems like a disaster waiting to
happen. Even our 10-storey office block had two - one at each end of the
building.

Yeah, ours was the same, one at each end.