Fire in buildings

There are two sets of regulations containing fire safety requirements: the Building Regulations 2010 (Part B) are concerned with the design and construction of buildings and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 contains requirements to safely manage buildings that are already in use.

However, the entire fire safety regulatory system is under scrutiny following the Grenfell Tower fire of 14 June 2017, described by the Fire Brigades Union as the deadliest since the blitz. It was sparked in the early hours by a simple fault on a fridge freezer in a fourth-floor flat. The fire rapidly spread throughout the 24-storey residential block, killing 72 people. The Metropolitan Police is leading a criminal investigation into the fire (see Chapter 3).