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Tower fire began in fridge, cladding was unsafe

Posted at 6:04 AM, Jun 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-23 06:04:38-04

LONDON (AP) — British police investigating the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London in which 79 people are believed to have died say the blaze started in a fridge freezer. They added that insulation and tiles recovered from the building have failed fire safety tests.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack says officers have seized documents in the investigation into the fire.

“What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests,” she told reporters Friday.

British authorities are studying samples of similar to that used on the west London apartment building that caught fire, killing at least 79 people.

Eleven buildings have now been identified as having combustible cladding such as that used on the Grenfell Tower. The cladding is being studied amid fears that the panels fueled the fire in the 24-story building that was engulfed in less than an hour.

Buildings in London, Manchester and Plymouth are among those where problem cladding has been identified.

Fears about cladding is not limited to apartment buildings, and at least one hotel chain is calling in experts to make certain it meets safety regulations. Premier Inn said Friday it had “concerns” about the material on some of its buildings, though it is different to the type used on Grenfell.