Flat residents' Grenfell fears as fire alarms don't go off

Despite a motorcycle going up in flames and smoke filling the car park at the base of Brecon House in Woolston, many residents above had no idea what was happening - due to the main building being on a separate alarm system.

Building managers First Port says all fire alarms were working on the night of the fire and there are robust safety systems in place, including a system of automated vents.

Fire damage in the basement of Brecon House (Image: Matt Davey)READ MORE: Platform Tavern landlord reveals 'difficult' time after fire

But resident of 10 years Claire Kassimy questioned this, saying: "We were all really surprised to hear the alarms were working [in the building] because there was quite a lot of smoke damage; it had gone all the way up to the third floor and stained the carpets brown.

"I've lived here since the beginning and I can't say I've ever heard an alarm go off."

According to Claire, the fire service were only called out - at 12.19am on Saturday, September 21 - when a member of the public spotted the smoke.

When her taxi driver husband Asif came home from his shift at around 1.30am, he was presented with a haze of smoke punctuated by the blue lights of four flashing fire engines outside their building.

Firefighters attending a blaze at Brecon House in the early hours of Saturday morning (Image: Matt Davey) But his wife, in their apartment on the second floor, was one of many neighbours blissfully unaware of what was happening below as the alarms in the main building were not triggered by the smoke.

Asif, 37, said: “I think there were some people on the ground floor that were evacuated, and the fire service did an incredible job."

Concerned about other security breaches, he said: "I think the fire is the last straw. The main door to the building has also been broken and anyone can walk in, we don’t want this to happen again.”

Brecon House (Image: Matt Davey) The fire service confirmed crews from St Mary’s and Hightown put out the fire and no-one was injured.

But Kelly Bittaye, 37, who has lived in the building since 2014, said: “It’s got to the point where you no longer feel safe in your own home.

“The fire was really worrying, and you could smell smoke in the lift the next day.

"We don’t want to be the next Grenfell.”

Fire damage in the basement of Brecon House (Image: Matt Davey) Claire claimed First Port had 'fobbed them off' with excuses when they asked for better alarms to be installed and claimed fire safety check certificates were out of date - something First Port denies.

But she acknowledged that since the fire, and the Echo contacting First Port, she had seen teams at work in the basement and around the building.

She said: “It makes you question how safe we are here, what if the fire had been worse and we were asleep?

“You need measures in place to protect you. It just seems like there’s a lack of security and a lack of care.”

Fire damage in the basement of Brecon House (Image: Matt Davey) In a statement, a spokesperson for First Port said: “There is a fully functioning fire alarm in the basement of Brecon House, which worked as expected following the fire on Saturday morning.

“There is a separate fire system in the main building alongside Automatic Opening Vents (AOVs) throughout the development.

“The AOVs are activated in the event of significant smoke entering the building from the basement, which is the standard approach across this type of building.

“Our fire systems across the development are tested regularly and meet current regulatory requirements.”

They added: “We are in regular contact with residents and encourage them to get in contact should they have any questions.”

Residents of Brecon House. From left to right: Kelly Bittaye, Claire Kassimy, Samantha King, Asif Kassimy (Image: NQ)

Fire damage in the basement of Brecon House (Image: Matt Davey)