The known death toll from a horrific high-rise fire at the Grenfell Tower apartment building in London, England in mid-June has reached at least 80. Flammable exterior cladding that had been added to the 24-storey tower during a recent retrofit is widely suspected as the reason for the rapid spread of the fire, which is still being investigated. Meanwhile, British authorities have evacuated hundreds of units in other apartment towers deemed a fire hazard.
Although we’re an ocean away from the tragedy, the events in London prompt the question: Could a tragedy like the one at Grenfell happen in Ottawa?
“It’s highly unlikely,” says Matt Farrell, a building inspector and vice-president of the Ontario Building Officials Association. Building codes in Ontario and Britain are different when it comes to cladding, he says. Plus, cladding that is flammable is not permitted on any building in Ontario that’s over six storeys and is only allowed on buildings between three and six storeys if there is a sprinkler system in place.
But what about older high-rise buildings that may not have been subject to current cladding restrictions? “Older (building) technology didn’t have those kind of flammable materials,” Farrell says.
Farrell says that we also have a fire safety inspection system to ensure greater protection. In the case of the British fire, by contrast, “the system also failed.”
Rigorous municipal inspections
Protection is further afforded because new residential towers are rigorously inspected by the municipality at both the planning and construction phases, according to John Buck from the City of Ottawa’s Building Code Services. “We could do several hundred inspections during the construction process” to ensure compliance with code, he says.
As well, fire alarm systems get a dry run before anyone is allowed to occupy a new building, which must also be equipped with sprinkler systems as well as multiple smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in each unit.
Changing technologies
Despite such assurances, Graeme Stewart of Toronto’s ERA Architects, recently told The Globe and Mail that we need to be vigilant when updating our older apartment buildings.
Stewart, who specializes in renewing modern apartment buildings, is concerned that “overcladding” – which is what was done at Grenfell – will be undertaken on many Canadian apartment buildings in the coming years as owners attempt to improve energy efficiency and comfort in towers that were built between the 1950s and the 1980s.
The architect cautions that building codes must ensure the fire safety of cladding materials and installation techniques. That’s particularly the case as new cladding materials come to market.
Fire prevention & escape
Kim Ayotte, Ottawa’s deputy fire chief, says that while we have had serious apartment building fires in Ottawa, the compartmentalized construction of buildings has limited their spread from one unit to another.
The key to fire safety is preventing fires from happening at all, he says. In Ottawa, he points to an increase in apartment balcony fires caused by lit cigarettes thrown over a railing and landing on flammable material on a balcony below, or cigarettes stubbed out in a flower put and setting peat moss in the pot aflame.
Ayotte says apartment dwellers should know the fire escape plan that landlords are required to have. It is usually posted near the elevator. If your building doesn’t have a plan in sight, contact your landlord.
In case of fire
If your building does catch fire, Ayotte says to get out if it’s safe to do so. Check the door knob for heat and then crack the door open and look for smoke in the hallway. If there is smoke, stay in your unit, put a wet towel at the bottom of the entry door to keep smoke out, contact 911, and wave brightly coloured fabric from the balcony or window to alert firefighters to your presence.
In no case should you use the elevators, which are needed by firefighters.
Ayotte says that if you are confronted by a high-rise fire, “Don’t panic. We are very successful in getting to the unit to put the fire out (and) helping other people get out.”
