Dozens of residents of Grenfell Tower suffered electricity power surges so strong their appliances malfunctioned, overheated and emitted smoke a few years before the fire, it has emerged.
Documents seen by the BBC reveal how 25 residents claimed compensation from the council following the surges in 2013.
Some say electricity problems persisted into the months before June’s fire.
Police say the blaze, in which at least 80 are thought to have died, started in a fridge freezer on the fourth floor.
One fire expert told the BBC the electricity spikes could have been an issue which led to the fire starting in the first place.
Neither the council nor the tenant management organisation which looks after the tower have commented.
Just shows how bad BBC journalism is and its failure to research stories properly….this ‘news’ has been on the GAG’s website for years…..the BBC clearly has not read through the site…if it had it would know that the GAG is a hardcore, left-wing group of activists and not an official residents’ body…….hence possibly why the council were reluctant to deal with it and its often sensationalist and highly politicised statements…..
NO JUSTICE FOR GRENFELL TOWER POWER SURGE VICTIMS
Grenfell Tower residents were today informed that the Council’s and TMO’s insurers ‘Zurich’ will not be compensating them for damage to electricl appliances suffered by many in the recent power surge debacle. ‘Zurich’ found that the TMO had not been negligent in regard to this incident. They therefore declined to provide compensation in response to residents insurance claims.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that our landlords would subject residents to the frightening experience of having electrical appliances blow up and catch fire in their homes – to then refuse to compensate the victims for their losses is just beyond the pale.
GRENFELL TOWER – FROM BAD TO WORSE
An end may finally be in sight to the mysterious and distressing power surges that have bedevilled Grenfell Tower residents throughout the past month. However, decisive action was only taken yesterday after highly distressed residents descended en masse on the estate office to demand action. They had woken to find smoke issuing from various electrical appliances in their homes, including the light fixtures, and descended in panic to the estate office to demand help and assistance. Emergency electricians who attended later in the day were finally, it seems, able to identify the source of the problem. An emergency temporary electrical by-pass supply has been provided and the necessary follow–up works will be carried out in the near future.
It is very clear at this stage that the electrical supply to Grenfell Tower has been in a very dangerous condition for several weeks. It is equally clear that the authorities had been repeatedly warned of this but had failed to react with sufficient urgency and had failed to take adequate remedial measures.
As evidence of this we present the extract below from an email sent on 13th May by Shah Ahmed, Chair of the Grenfell Tower Leaseholders Association, to Robert Black at TMO and various RBKC councillors and TMO officers:
“Continuous Power Surges in Grenfell Tower
There have been two weeks of power surges in the building, most notably in the early hours of the morning and throughout the evening and night time. Electronic apparatus are seriously affected by these surges. Computers are turned on and off, lights continually flicker becoming very dim and extremely bright in the space of a few seconds.
On 11th May 2013 at 9:05pm we had numerous power surges in the space of a minute, and in that process my computer and monitor literally exploded with smoke seeping out from the back and the smell of burnt electronics filled our entire computer. My monitor also fused at the same time. When I called the TMO out of hours service the standard textbook response was given to us that I was the first one to report such a problem and I was made to feel like a fool reporting such an issue, which resulted in years of data being lost forever.
Please note if the power surges continue at Grenfell Tower, it would be very dangerous and costly because it is interfering with electric and electronic items in the household, including the telephone line, television, fridge, washing machine, computer etc”.
My favourite part from that electrifying bBC news article is this snippet:
“Sajad Jamalvatan, a biomechanical engineering student, moved into a flat on the third floor of Grenfell Tower only in August last year following the completion of the refurbishment works.He said he was concerned about the safety of the electricity in the tower. Mr Jamalvatan said the newly installed electrical meter often made a strange buzzing sound at night and constantly had to be topped up with money.”
Who said comedy at the bBC is dead?
Pounce, LOL! This morning on the TODAY Programme, Lord Hall tries to tell us how good the BBC is and this has to be rewarded with high pay.
Today the comedy continues.
BBC = BAS
Business As Usual.
Pounce,
You can’t get the quality bio mechanical engineering students like you used to……………
Surely none of these “surges” are anything to do with residents by-passing the RCD or meters.
How could you suggest anything so Waycist?
Don’t you know that none of these Nobel Prize winning Brain Surgeons*, Nuclear Physicists*, and Rocket Scientists* (* delete as appropriate) would ever stoop to such depths?
I’m utterly shocked, shocked I tell you …..
Shocked?
Halifax – Or keeping their herby type plants growing nicely for their spliff biznizz
If you Google Mr Jamalvatan’s name you will discover that he has become something of a media star and seemingly a favourite go-to for the BBC and C4, when it wants the sort of commentary that our Iranian friend gives, which is music to their ears. He has been quoted by newspapers around the world as well as international TV news channels. His shtick seems to be that there are many more dead than the authorities are letting on, and that he could have done the forensics much better and faster himself as an “engineer”.
Well, there is a simple solution. The surviving residents in Grenfell Tower know who exactly was in their apartment as the fire started. They should be made to take the stand at the Inquiry and give evidence under oath.
The apartments where tragically all the inhabitants at the time of the fire died, will then be identified from the absent witnesses. Those apartments, along with the common areas, can then be carefully re-checked to identify any possible errors in separation of forensic evidence. That number, total extinction – if such a thing exists – excluded, must then be the death toll from this sad disaster.
How does a single student get allocated social housing from a council with the worst social housing waiting list in the country?
You chuck someone in the housing department a bung
Not my exact area of expertise. But I have a big problem understanding the power spikes and the council are to blame. The electrical authories have duty to keep the voltages within statutory limits. This has nothing to do with the council. I am not educated as to the power distribution in a tower block. For them to have a voltage surge alone to the block would mean there is some sort of regulator in the basement.
FB, the beauty and advantage of a site like this is that among there regulars we may have some expertise in that area. Your contribution was valuable and helpful. Hopefully they will be along to contribute their knowledge. Any building managers out there? Any firemen/firewomen, or fire investigators even?
It would be a real help. It could be that all the BBC is doing is circulating FakeNews or FalseNews. That helps no-one.
Thanks, for instance a faulty regulator may be to blame. Why did it go on for so many years? Why was it never sorted. Nearly every house in the country is subject to the same possible problem. Why did they have a problem.
Another possible explanation is that it was used as an insurance fiddle excuse to get new kit. Not unknown.
What are fuse boxes and trip switches for?
They don’t trip out if the supply goes over the allowed voltage.
It was all the sockets with 30 plugs in that caused the problem. I see it all the time.Some people don’t take notice of others telling them about safety.
Al Beeb runs a programme called “the long view” sometimes it has a genuine message but often it just dresses up parallels in history with lefty multicultural propaganda.
Today it went back to a fire in Glasgow in 1904 to draw parallels with the recent tower block fire. Half an hour of unchallenged statements and prejudice – particularly since it is known that there is a public inquiry and criminal investigation going on.
It tried to blame the nasty council for not spending money on the block and left out the bit about the 10 million taxpayers money the council spent trying to improve the block and making it more green.
As a aside – the inquiry into the Glasgow fire took three years to report but no one was critical of that nor were they critical of the fire survivors being put into the poor house afterward.
Electricity and all the stuff associated with it is a bit of a dark art as far as I am concerned. More of a clockwork person, I guess. I can handle the basics but treat the stuff with a great deal of care. I also learn by experience.
Many years ago I plugged in an extension lead with double (or more) gang at at the other end to use a couple of devices at the same time. Not high power/high drain stuff and not at a distance, so I left most of the lead neatly coiled – no trip hazard there!
I was surprised then, when I switched the devices off, and unplugged and picked up the coiled extension cable that it was almost too hot to hold. Obviously some induction was going on there. Since then I have always fully uncoiled leads and have even upgraded cables on shop bought four/six gang extensions to more heavy duty stuff as a precaution.
I hope the fire inspectors at Grenfell Tower are able to find the true cause and are also not stopped from reporting it.
We need to know.
Too many plugs…………….some lighter relief from the tower tragedy………..
My mate who was a lecturer told the story of some of his overseas students who had been “installed” in the infamous Red Road flats in North Glasgow….a group were watching tele one Saturday evening when they all lurched back on seeing an object
slowly moving back and forwards under their carpet at the wall………..
Suddenly a hand appeared with a multi socket plug trying to tap into the students supply………….they had cut a hole in the ceiling below…….!!