Fire destroys timber framed block of flats

A major fire has reduced a four-storey timber-framed block of flats to ashes. The fire ripped through the flats at Sherbrooke Way, Worcester Park in South-West London during the early hours of Monday, September 9.

At the height of the blaze some 127 firefighters were on the scene. At this stage there are no reported casualties.

The inferno follows a number of major timber fires at completed residential developments this year including the Beechmere retirement development in Crewe in August and Barking Riverside in London in June.

“This latest fire underlines the unsuitability and potential danger of using timber frame construction. Developers and housing associations should reconsider its use,” said Stephen Elliott, chairman of the British Association of Reinforcement. “As proven by the spate of recent major fires, lightweight timber structures can be a fire risk. They simply do not offer the inherent fire resistance of concrete structures.”