Fire safety works in York flats gutted by blaze approved
Sub Officer Lee Smith surveys the damage in one of the top floor gutted luxury flats in Fulford Place in 2005 (Image: Nigel Holland)
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Fire safety works planned in a York block of flats gutted by a blaze two decades ago have been approved.
Plans for the works in Aldwark House and Heslington House, which are part of the wider Fulford Place complex in Hospital Fields Road, have been approved by York Council.
Applicants Taylor Wimpey stated it followed a survey which found certain components of the building did not meet fire safety standards.
Council planning officers said the works would include replacing outside wall and roof components and the installation of cavity barriers at the residential block of flats.
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The fire safety survey was carried out in both parts of the complex which was engulfed by a blaze in 2005.
A burning rag on the building’s roof is believed to have sparked the fire in May that year.
More than 80 firefighters battled the blaze which was said to be one of the biggest in York in recent years.
About 60 people were left homeless as a result and although none of them were injured, one firefighter had to be taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
Residents Dan Adams and Michelle McCormack spoke to The Press in the aftermath of the fire at the time after getting five minutes to collect any surviving possessions from their flat the following day.
Their flat was left dripping wet and stinking after being doused with water pumped from the nearby River Ouse to put out the fire.
The flats fire in Hospital Fields Road in 2005 (Image: David Harrison)
The pair moved into the flat the previous June and spent several thousands of pounds on decorations and furniture which were left wrecked.
A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service investigation later found there had been problems with the way the flats were constructed which appeared to fall foul of building regulations.
Investigators stated some of the compartmental walls which joined the roof were not properly sealed, leaving them unable to stop flames from spreading.
They said the “sandwich” panel structure on top of walls was not separated by compartment walls.
And they added that a wooden partition wall between blocks was unlikely to have withstood the fire for the required 60 minutes.
Investigators also ruled the burning rag which sparked the fire should not have been able to spread through the roof and into two separate blocks of the building.
The findings prompted calls from City of York Council to strengthen national building regulations.
Developer Taylor Woodrow, who built the flats, claimed they had been constructed with materials approved by the Building Council and they had not been informed of any regulatory breaches as a result.
Plans from Taylor Wimpey lodged with the council this August stated the proposed works were required to improve the fire safety performance of external walls and associated building elements.
Cavity barriers are set to be installed within roof voids where required, with combustible ventilation ductwork set to be removed and a steel replacement fitted.
Other combustible materials are set to be removed and replaced and firestopping measures installed.
The application stated: “The survey identified certain components which do not meet current fire safety requirements, together with areas where cavity barriers require replacement or installation.
“Accordingly, remedial works have been developed to address these matters.”