FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS > Fire Investigation
Newgrange Care Home
Tom W:
A "fierce fire" at a care home has left two people dead - with a further 33 having to be rescued from the collapsing building.
The blaze gutted Newgrange Care Home in Cadmore Lane, Cheshunt, after it broke out at about 06:00 BST.
Despite firefighters launching a "challenging" rescue operation, they were unable to save everyone inside.
Three more residents needed hospital treatment for minor burns and smoke inhalation, the fire service said.
Richard Hammond, an executive director at Princess Alexandra Hospital, said two of the three patients were still being treated but their condition was not known.
Chief fire officer for Hertfordshire, Darryl Keen, said the fire "had spread inside the roof all the way along the entire property".
"We had a number of people that were unable to get themselves out, you know, physically would not have been able to move even under normal circumstances," he said.
Owain:
Tragic and very worrying.
It appears to have been a modern purpose-built building and the latest inspection found it 'safe'
--- Quote ---Plans and guidance had been drawn up to help staff deal with unforeseen events and emergencies. The environment and equipment used were regularly checked and well maintained to keep people safe.
--- End quote ---
SeaBass:
That's a CQC report finding. CQC reports do not focus on fire safety, and in practice rarely even mention it. The key report here will be the fire risk assessment, and possibly, depending on the age of the building or the date of any conversion/change of use, followed by a review of any building control approvals to see whether or not the use of the premises as a care home and the dependency levels of the residents were considered as part of that approval process.
Bruce89:
If the reports about the fire service having to carry out the number of rescues are true, the FRA in relation to article 15 (1)(b) will be interesting.
AnthonyB:
The description of the fire spread screams 'compartmentation!' but of course we will need to wait for the official report and inquest and if there are any charges resulting under various legislation.
With it being relatively modern and purpose built the number of rescues and casualties suggest something went very wrong.
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