A MAN DIED in a fire on the 17th floor of a 22-story residential tower block on Saturday 12th September 2026. Now Cllr Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council, has written to landlord Notting Hill Genesis about a range of alleged failures on their part.
Faith Kitchen, an Asian Fusion restaurant in Trafalgar Road, Greenwich has announced that the man who lost his life was their chef, Yu. His death led to the restaurant closing on a temporary basis.
The fire came after residents had raised a series of questions about safety in the block. The day before the fire broke out, residents were evacuated after there was a major water leak in the block. It came from a burst pipe on the roof and left puddles of water throughout the corridors and staircases. Water also caused damage inside the flats.
The London Fire Brigade pumped the water out and then told residents they could return to their homes. Many residents did not go back as they were worried that the electricity system in the block would be damp – and dangerous – after the flood.
One resident claimed that the electricity had been turned off in the communal parts of the block, but the supply to individual flats was left on. The following day, the fire started. The London Fire Brigade continues to investigate the cause of the fire and have asked everyone not to speculate, but that leaves around 50 residents who are scared to return home and want some answers.
The answers they want include confirmation that the fire alarm system in the building is working and that there are systems in place to keep residents safe if fire breaks out again. Residents reported that they did not hear a fire alarm when the fire broke out last Saturday and had to alert neighbours themselves. Residents leaving the building had to paddle through water on the stairs by the light of their phones, which were dark as electricity in the communal areas had been turned off.
It is these complaints that the Deputy Mayor has raised with Notting Hill Genesis. He has listed recent and longstanding safety concerns and asked to see various statutory documents and reports covering safety issues.
The Council has expressed its condolences to the family of the man who died and its sympathy to those who have been displaced by the fire. They have set up a web page showing what support is available to residents.
What happened at Neutron Tower is shocking, but it is typical of the problems which housing associations in the borough (and the country) are having in delivering services. The Council is right to support the Neutron House residents with practical help, but it needs to move on, quickly, to working out how to improve operating standards of all housing associations.
●Read more about it: Limehouse flat fire caused by cooking Housing progress: but where are the residents?