News

Mass. building codes reportedly allow material suspected in fatal London fire

BOSTON — After an estimated 79 people died in a London high rise apartment building, UK investigators are pointing to a certain material used in the building for the fire’s rapid spread.

As officials in the UK evacuate buildings with similar risks, three U.S. states – including Massachusetts – reportedly lack restrictions against it.

Some buildings will incorporate cladding – a type of material layering – to add weather resistance and thermal insulation. The type installed on the outside of Grenfell Tower during a 2016 renovation is the subject of investigation in the deadly blaze.

Though the fires started in a refrigerator, the cladding is suspected to have fueled its rapid spread to other parts of the building.

Extensive testing is now being done as officials around Britain scramble to assess the safety of apartment buildings following the June 14 inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower.

MORE: Police considering manslaughter charges in Grenfell Tower fire

According to NPR, the type of cladding used on the tower is not allowed on buildings in most of the U.S., "but a few state and the District of Columbia have relaxed their building codes in recent years and have started to permit the material's use."

A specific test to ensure siding isn’t combustible has been the target of cuts to building code restrictions in some states, including Massachusetts.

In certain circumstances, the Commonwealth no longer requires the fire safety test known as NFPA 285.

Opponents of the test have argued it is cost-prohibitive to find materials that meet the criteria and say fires tend to start on the inside of buildings, NPR reported.

But in Boston Department of Public Safety meeting notes dated 2015, proponents of the test argue the risky cladding hinders a fire department's access to the building as they must strip the combustible siding from the building before they can gain safe access to the inside.

Britain's government now says that 27 high-rise apartment blocks in 15 areas have failed fire cladding safety tests. A local council in London says it evacuated some 650 homes overnight after inspectors found fire safety issues in four public housing towers.

Officials had said earlier that samples of cladding panels from 14 buildings in London, Manchester and Plymouth had been found to be combustible.

Police have told UK news outlets they are considering manslaughter charges in connection to the fire.

The Associated Press contributed to the report.