Councils have been warned over the use of insulation panels on high-rise buildings, after tests revealed they are “likely” to have caused a devastating fire to rip through a tower block last year.

According to Inside Housing:

“Documents released to Inside Housing under the Freedom of Information Act reveal an investigation showed panels attached to the outside of the building came apart when burnt, exposing flammable insulation material and plywood to the blaze.

It concluded this “is likely to have assisted the fire in spreading up the outside of the building”, with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) warning H&F and all other London boroughs about use of the panels. No details surrounding the spread of the fire had previously been released.

THE INVESTIGATION

Inside Housing has seen a report on the panels, compiled for the LFB by consultancy Bureau Veritas. It found:

  • The panels comprised a 17-23mm plywood board, covered by blue polystyrene foam, 1mm steel sheet and decorative white paint
  • When exposed to high flames, the polystyrene foam melted away, causing the metal sheet to fall and exposing the foam and wood to the flames
  • This is “likely” to have occurred to the panels above the flat where the fire started, with flaming droplets falling and flames spreading up
  • The experts concluded this is “likely to have assisted the fire in spreading up the outside of the building, as this mechanism progressively exposes a plywood surface to a developing fire”

 

The panels, which were made of polystyrene mounted on plywood covered by a 1mm steel sheet, were installed during window replacement work 10 years ago. ”