Bolton tower block fire: Report finds 'many lives' were saved by swift action of fire crews
The Cube on Bradshawgate went up in flames in November 2019. The fire was started accidentally by a discarded cigarette.
A report into a huge fire at a seven storey student accomodation block in Bolton has found many lives were saved by the "full and immediate evacuation" of the building.
'The Cube' on Bradshawgate went up in flames on 15th November 2019 and at its peak; 130 firefighters were engaged in tackling the blaze. The 'Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Cube Incident Report' has found that the fire was started accidentally by a discarded cigarette.
Crews arrived on the scene less than 4 minutes after the first 999 call was made and ultimately called in support from fire services in Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire.
Investigators have concluded that implementing a quick evacuation procedure, from lessons learned after the Grenfell Tower fire, led to all 217 residents being accounted for and no serious injuries being reported.
Now fire chiefs and local Leaders are sharing their experiences to help other Fire and Rescue Services across the country learn from the incident in how to tackle fires in tall buildings.
Two residents, trapped in their flats by fire, heat and smoke, were rescued by firefighters. One was pulled from a sixth floor window by a firefighter on a high reach aerial appliance while the second was assisted by firefighters to escape from a second floor window using ladders.
Jim Wallace, Chief Fire Officer at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The speed with which the fire took hold and the devastating impact it had on the building was immense. I want to place on record my appreciation of the actions of all who responded to the fire at The Cube. They demonstrated great professionalism in the face of extremely testing circumstances.
“Residents of The Cube and in particular the Student Ambassadors displayed great courage as they became involved in a major incident. Our firefighters and incident command team worked in a high risk and rapidly developing environment and showed professionalism, effectiveness and dedication throughout.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, added: “This report confirms that our firefighters did a truly outstanding job in tackling the fire at The Cube. They undoubtedly saved people from serious injury or worse and we all owe them a huge debt of thanks. I would also like to thank the vice-Chancellor and staff of the University of Bolton who provided exemplary support to their students at such a challenging time alongside colleagues from Bolton Council.
“What this report also shows is that, on the night in question, Greater Manchester’s fire resources were stretched to the very limit. I will be sending a copy of this report to the Home Secretary and urging her to recognise that there can be no further reductions Government funding for fire services without putting communities at serious risk.
“The incident at The Cube also brought home the danger of leaving flammable cladding on buildings. It is essential that the Government puts in a place a programme of work to remove dangerous cladding from all buildings without any resident having to foot the bill.”
The Cube, which is privately owned and operated, opened in 2015 offering studio and en-suite cluster flats a for 221 residents who were primarily students. The building is covered with high pressure laminate cladding.
The Greater Manchester High Rise Task Force, set up in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, continues its work to bring together landlords of tower blocks across the city-region was well as the 10 Local Authorities, Universities, Housing Providers and other key services who can offer support to ensure that high rise buildings are safe or are made safe.