The buildings in question are the Chalcots Estates in Camden, North London. They are being evacuated for "urgent fire safety works," reports the BBC. Initially, only one tower was to be evacuated, but city authorities soon extended the order to all five.
Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said, "Camden Council is absolutely determined to ensure that our residents are safe and we have promised them that we will work with them, continue to act swiftly and be open and transparent."
She added that the London Fire Brigade had inspected the blocks and decided that the flats needed to be "temporarily decanted … so that residents can be fully assured of their safety. This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation."
One of the residents of the five tower blocks being evacuated calls the situation "ridiculous" and says she was given "no notice" pic.twitter.com/6Txjph4UcP
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 23, 2017
Locals have criticized the Camden Council and the London Fire Brigade for the haste and lack of notice that preceded the evacuation. "We've been told we'll be out for two to four weeks," said Chalcots Estates resident Shirley Phillips, who claimed she only found out she was being evacuated when she turned on the TV and saw the Sky News report about her buildings being evacuated.
"I was told to get a little bag together, I've got some underwear, some dog's food, a nightgown … I haven't gotten anything else."
The high-rises have an exterior material that is very similar to the one used on the Grenfell Tower. The Camden high-rises were evacuated as part of a national operation to prevent a repeat of the catastrophic Grenfell fire, which authorities reported Friday is believed to have started because of a faulty refrigerator.
