User:Jpmaytum/Shirley Towers
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| Date | 6 April 2010 |
|---|---|
| Location | Church Street, Shirley, Southampton, England |
| Coordinates | 50°55′25″N 1°26′00″W / 50.9236578°N 1.4332766°W |
| Cause | Uplighter set fire to curtains |
| Deaths | 2 firefighters |
| Non-fatal injuries | 2 firefighters |
The Shirley Towers Fire occurred in a tower block on 6 April 2010 in Southampton, Hampshire, England. Two firefighters were killed when a fire developed and spread from the 9th floor.[1] The investigations & inquiries following the fire led to changes in fire safety rules nationally, particulary the regulations around electrical wiring.[2]
Background
[edit]Shirley Towers is a 15-storey concrete tower block of 150 apartments located in the Shirley area of Southampton and is home to about 400 people. [1]. The building dates from the mid-1960s and is of the unusual scissor section construction where each apartment is spread over several floors in an interlocking design.
| Shirley Towers | |
|---|---|
 Shirley towers from Church Street Photo © Jim Champion (cc-by-sa/2.0) | |
| General information | |
| Address | Church Street, Southampton, SO15 5PE |
| Town or city | Southampton |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Construction started | 1965 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Owner | Southampton City Council |
| Landlord | Southampton City Council |
| Height | 46 metres (150 ft 11 in) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Reema |
| Floor count | 15 |
| Other information | |
| Number of units | 150 |
The fire
[edit]The fire started when curtains in the lounge of the flat caught fire from being on top of an uplighter lamp. Emergency crews were called at 20:10 on 6 April 2010 Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).. (a letter to other statutory authorities designed to prevent future deaths)
The Rule 43 letter made 9 recommendations [3] to the Government, fire services including:
- improved training fo firefighters
- changing building regulations to ensure fire resistant cable supports
- fitting of sprinklers to existing residential buildings over 30 metres tall
- improved escape signage
Changes to the British Standards electrical wiring regulations finally came into force in Jul 2015 [2]following the Shirley Towers tragedy and the previous Harrow Court fire - where similar problems were a factor in firefighter deaths.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Fatal Fire Investigation, Shirley Towers". Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. 8 April 2013. p. 12. Retrieved 29 Jun 2017.
- ^ a b "Shirley Towers: Firefighter deaths lead to wiring safety change". BBC News. 16 Jan 2016. Retrieved 29 Jun 2018.
- ^ "INQUEST INTO THE DEATHS OF ALAN BANNON AND JAMES SHEARS" (PDF). HM Coroner for Southampton. 4 Feb 13. Retrieved 29 Jun 18.
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External links
[edit]- Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service page about the incident
- Rule 43 letter giving the Coroner's recommendations following the fire
See also
[edit]