In several past editions of Gulf Fire, I have referred to the circumstances of the catastrophic London fire that engulfed the 24-floor Grenfell Tower in July 2017 causing the deaths of 72 men, women and children residents who perished as a result of the extensive use of flammable cladding panels during the tower’s refurbishment.
The subsequent lengthy Inquiry ordered by the UK government was halted during the height of the Covid pandemic but did eventually re-convene and has now concluded taking detailed evidence relating to the circumstances of building work on the Grenfell Tower and of multi-fatal fire.
In a statement marking the conclusion of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Inquiry Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick stated:
‘As the Inquiry hearings come to an end, we enter the next stage of our work and the task facing the Inquiry Panel is one of considerable proportions. The Inquiry has disclosed to Core Participants over 300,000 documents, all of which in one way or another concern the matters under investigation. It has obtained over 1,500 witness statements and has sat for more than 300 days, most of which have been devoted to taking evidence from a wide range of factual and expert witnesses.
‘The Panel’s task, with the assistance of the Inquiry team and its assessors, is to digest all that material, and identify the causes of the Grenfell Tower fire and the responsibilities of those involved. Anyone who has followed the Inquiry’s proceedings will understand this is not a simple task.’
The Chairman continued: ‘Although it is possible to identify some decisions relating to the refurbishment that had an immediate effect, the wider causes of the catastrophic fire had their roots in the culture of the construction industry and the regulatory regime which applies to building work, amongst other things.’
Given that the use of cladding panels on high-rise towers is commonplace, the findings and recommendations of the UK Grenfell Inquiry to prevent such a fire disaster ever occurring again is likely to be of wide professional interest. The Inquiry’s Report and Recommendations is expected to be published during 2023.
Battery fires in electric vehicles
Another relevant and increasing operational fire-safety topic concerns fires in electric vehicles (EVs) involving their lithium-ion high-voltage batteries and the new challenges they are bringing to firefighting crews.
Fires in petrol and diesel cars are commonplace and usually straightforward to bring under control. However, EV firefighting tactics do demand a lot more attention, especially as the numbers of these new vehicles will continue to grow in the face of the EV manufacturers’ seemingly endless glossy marketing.
The number of EV fires are still minimal compared to those in petrol and diesel vehicles. However, over the past five years of the 47 UK public Fire & Rescue Services, 39 have reported attending increasing numbers of battery fires in EVs – with London Fire Brigade registering a total of 507 separate incidents which included 19 double deck buses.
EV technology is new and EV fires are complex to deal with. In the event of battery damage and subsequent short circuit, the consequential thermal runaway can rapidly lead to a highly toxic vapour cloud producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, both of which are fatal to humans. There are likely to be many other organic chemicals released together with the risk of battery cells exploding.
Lithium-ion batteries produce their own oxygen supply, and extreme hot weather conditions and improper thermal management systems of the battery can apparently negatively impact performance and shorten their life. Even when an EV fire appears to be out, it can re-ignite again after a few hours or even later.
But with the fast-growing increase in EVs on the road, new collective firefighting equipment is being developed, such as a water lance that floods the battery from a safe distance, or a fire blanket that envelops the entire vehicle. Much effort is going into understanding the science and new risks that are involved and applying new training and tactical plans accordingly.
Nevertheless, opinions do seem to be divided on how best to tackle an EV battery fire but generally it includes immense quantities of water to cool the battery pack – although this will not prevent fire erupting again – or simply letting the burning vehicle burn itself out. Surrounding areas must be checked for discarded battery cells that could have been propelled from the battery pack by an explosion and might spontaneously ignite later. Following containment, the burnt-out EV must be removed and deposited in a compound well away from buildings and other vehicles.
A related aspect of the risks of lithium-ion batteries is that some 25% of scrapyard fires and other major outbreaks in waste processing plants reported in the UK are now directly caused by discarded lithium-ion batteries.
But with widespread plans to combat global warming and an imposed future ban on the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles getting ever closer, it is vital that much more research and government investment is needed to secure safety for firefighters dealing with these new and hazardous incidents.
Intersec Dubai 2023
This edition of Gulf Fire is anticipating the annual Intersec Expo Dubai show being held on 17–19 January 2023. The show theme is to unite the industry and accelerate conversations to explore strategies and source technologies for the challenges faced by fire and global security leaders and professionals.
This will be the 24th annual edition of Intersec, which under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has grown to become one of the world’s largest fire and safety events. Intersec 2022 suffered somewhat from being under the shadow of the protracted Covid-19 lockdown period, but the 2023 show already looks likely to break all records with over 1,000 exhibitors from 120 countries and 30,000 plus attendees within the 47,000m2 area of the show.
Gulf Fire magazine is a Key Fire Media Partner for Intersec and MDM Publishing greatly values its strong relationship with the Intersec organisers, Messe Frankfurt. Let us hope that 2023 gets off to a very good start.
About the Author
Neil Wallington is a former British Chief Fire Officer, a Past International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers, and a holder of the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct. He is the author of 17 books on the work of the fire service, and acts as a consultant with extensive experience in the Gulf on a range of projects.
