Grenfell above in 2017, Valencia below, yesterday:
These two towering infernos have some things in common but one big difference – 72 dead in London but only 4 (so far) in Valencia.
Why that difference? More escape routes due to better building standards and a better fire service due to the lack of a privatising Conservative Party government, at times, at national and local level in Spain?
Other than that key difference, both towers went up in only minutes.
Experts say that highly flammable cladding on the building enabled the fire to spread rapidly.
These Scottish blocks also had flammable cladding yet, in no case, did the fire spread up the floors to create a towering inferno effect and kill:
2021, one floor, no deaths.
In Glasgow again in 2022, one man taken to hospital,
Why?
This:
Reader Gordon Darge wrote for us in January 2020:
As a chartered architect in Scotland for 40 years I can confirm that the Building Regulations Technical Standards Scotland have for two decades required cavity fire barriers
2.4 Cavities Mandatory Standard Standard 2.4 Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire within the building, the spread of fire and smoke within cavities in its structure and fabric is inhibited.
This includes for example, around the head, jambs and sill of an external door or window opening, at all floor levels and building corners etc. to prevent the spread of fire in building cavities. This would have prevented the spread of the fire at Grenfell Tower.
This is difficult and expensive to achieve and I can only guess that in England they did not follow the Scottish model because Westminster and the Tories were led by the vested interests of big business, property developers and large construction firms.
Finally, from statistics around the time of Grenfell
In Scotland 2015/16, 9 827 safety audits were carried out. England has 10 times the population and so, all things being equal, might have been expected to have seen 98 270 fire safety audits. However, in 2017/18, England saw only 49 423 fire safety audits, just over half the number. Fire safety audits in Scotland are thus almost twice as common, per head of population, in Scotland as in England.
Why? Cost-cutting Tory local authorities? Cost-cutting Tory central government?
3 thoughts on “A Spanish towering inferno, like Grenfell but with far fewer casualties and once more completely unlike Scottish tower block fires safely contained”
The Westminster Tory landlords voted down improved building regulations in the South.
Banks not longer lending for buy to lets. The Banks making massive profits again on higher interest rates, fueling inflation. No growth. Flat lining economy. Brexit cost £100Billion lost.
32,000 Airbnbs in Scotland. 16,000 in Edinburgh. 2million pop central belt. More are needed for cheaper accommodation. Another storm in a teacup. The Greens not thinking things through. More regulation.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
The Westminster Tory landlords voted down improved building regulations in the South.
Banks not longer lending for buy to lets. The Banks making massive profits again on higher interest rates, fueling inflation. No growth. Flat lining economy. Brexit cost £100Billion lost.
32,000 Airbnbs in Scotland. 16,000 in Edinburgh. 2million pop central belt. More are needed for cheaper accommodation. Another storm in a teacup. The Greens not thinking things through. More regulation.
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John these facts bear repeating constantly. Thank goodness you’re so diligent
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Thanks
Diligent?
Not the word my wife would use!
Obsess……
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