News | Holborough Lakes fire


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Flames engulf the apartments, left, at Holborough Lakes and, above, the aftermath


MP has praise for firefighters


MP Tracey Crouch, who spent three hours at the scene, praised the response to the emergency by fire- fighters and other services. The Chatham and Aylesford MP (pictured) posted on her Facebook page: “The response to the incident from the fire brigade was absolutely first rate with, at one point, over 15 appli- ances in atten- dance. “I met some residents and most are with family or friends and others have been placed in hotel accommoda- tion. The response from the com- munity, individuals and organisations, and volunteer groups like the Red Cross was in- credible and people's donations came in so thick and fast that a re- questwent out for no more! “The emergency services were


being well looked after too with food and refreshments. Thank you to all those who have been in touch to offer help and support. One fire- man said ‘You must be really proud of the community’...Yes, I am, but also of him and his colleagues. “My primary responsibilities will


kick in a bit down the road when those affected inevitably find them- selves facing challenges from the administrative issues that arise from events like this. “But it was reassuring to see


those affected being supported, practically and emotionally.”


Balcony identified as the seat of flats blaze


IT WILL be some time before the cause of the fire which engulfed a block of flats in Holborough Lakes can be identified. More than 100 firefighters battled


the blaze early in Lambe Close on the morning of Saturday, Septem- ber 16, with 22 households – some 43 residents – being forced to evac- uate.


Those in neighbouring blocks to


the one affected – which is on the right-hand side as you enter the de- velopment –were also temporarily evacuated but have been able to re- turn.


No-one was injured in the blaze,


which came just over two months after the Grenfell Tower disaster which killed at least 67 people in London. The severity of the fire has, how-


ever, hindered Kent Fire and Res- cue Service’s attempts to ascertain the cause of the blaze – although they have revealed that it started on a balcony. “The extent of damage has meant


that the ability to carry out physi- cal excavations has been extremely limited,” a statement read. “How- ever, there have been a number of video and social media images sup- plied, alongside witness statements from local residents, that have en- abled fire investigators to view the fire in the very early stages to verify a number of areas.


Video and social media images have en- abled fire investigators to view the fire in the very early stages


“We are all aiming to conclude


the investigation as quickly as pos- sible, but at this stage we are not able to give a date for completion. “KFRS officers will continue working with the building owners and Tonbridge and Malling Build- ing Control Department to examine if there are any areas of the build- ing’s performance during the fire thatwarrant further investigation.” Among the households affected


were five flats being lived in by pri- vate tenants, and they are receiving support from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. Cllr David Lettington issued an


“At this stage, we are not able to determine the cause of the fire as the investigation has not con- cluded. However,we can state that the fire did start on a third floor balcony. “The fire is not being treated as suspicious.However, KFRS contin- ues to liaise with local police offi- cers as required.


update via the Snodland Conserva- tives website, saying: “Berkeley Homes are still accommodating several families at a local hotel and have been liaising with residents about their longer term rehoming options. “This is not a straightforward process as there were a mixture of tenures with some families being owner-occupiers and other being tenants of private landlords. “TMBC are working together closely with Berkeley and have al- located housing officers to the fam- ilies that need it. TMBC may need to give short-term financial assis- tance to some households, depend- ing on their circumstances. TMBC are also monitoring the cases of all those who have been displaced from their home. “Those families who were tem- porarily displaced from the adja- cent block due to the electrical power outage have all been given the all clear to return. Some flats re- quired a ’deep clean’ before resi- dents could return. “The rebuild timescale is de- pendent upon the findings of a forthcoming engineering assess- ment to be carried out by Berkeley Homes. Berkeley Homes are carry- ing out air quality monitoring in the adjacent block whilst tempo- rary works take place to remove debris and put up scaffolding.”


Temporary accommodation found for victims


TONBRIDGE and Malling Bor- ough Council’s emergency plan sprung into action to help victims of the blaze. A spokesman said: “Staff from


our housing team were deployed to the site to provide any support required by residents, including setting up a rest centre if needed. “In the event it did not prove


16 Malling October 2017


necessary to establish a rest centre as a local facility in Holborough had been provided by Berkeley Homes to act as a co-ordination point for those affected. “Berkeley Homes and the man- agement company for the affected properties, RMG, worked directly with residents to ensure all had ac- cess to temporary accommodation


either with friends and family, or in nearby hotel accommodation. “A full rest centre was therefore


not required. “Our housing staff continue to support residents alongside Berkley Homes and RMG to en- sure more longer term accommo- dation is found for all those in need. TMBC also provided other


technical staff – building control officers and incident liaison offi- cers – to work with KFRS, the Po- lice and voluntary sector under the leadership of KFRS. “The leader of the Council, Nicolas Heslop, attended the site along with a number of local councillors and the chief executive Julie Beilby.”


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