1 dead and 90 evacuated from a tower block blaze with ‘polystyrene’ cladding

A man has died and 90 other people have been evacuated from a tower block after a fire broke out on the top floor. The tower’s cladding has been likened to a “polystyrene” like material. 

The block of flats, called Twinnell House in Easton, Bristol was attended by emergency workers around 2:15am this morning when a fire broke out on the 16th floor. 

Of the 90 people evacuated, eight people are currently being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation and minor burns. Three other people are seen to by medics at the scene of the blaze. 

Concerns around the tower’s cladding material had already been raised after the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, when a fire broke out on the 24th floor of the North Kensington block of flats. 

Gina Massiah, a 57 year old legal secretary who used to live in Twinnell House, told the Sun “when they put the cladding up I was quite surprised”. She described it as seeming and appearing like brick, but said that “when you touch it it feels like it is made of polystyrene.” Massiah also revealed that there were “no sprinklers” and “no alarm” in the block of flats. 

Those who lived in Twinnell House, which is completely owned by Bristol City Council, have been provided with a rest centre set up at a nearby church in which the city council are currently providing welfare support to around 40 people. A Bristol City Council spokesperson has said their “thoughts are with the family of the individual who has tragically lost their life in this incident”. 

Yassin Mohamud, the Green party chancellor, said he hadn’t “heard any complaints or requests by residents.” but confirmed that there is “still an ongoing investigation with the fire authority and the police, we will await the outcomes of this report.” 

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