17 Jun Harlow Council praises residents and fire service response to tower block fire
Harlow Council has praised residents and the fire service for their quick actions after a fire started in a property in Pennymead Tower on Friday (14 June 2019).
At around 5pm a fire started within a property on the ground floor of the tower. Fortunately there were no injuries but two dogs had to be rescued. The resident was not in the property at the time. The fire, which was accidental, was dealt with quickly and did not spread to any other homes thanks to a neighbour being alerted to the sound of a smoke alarm.
Harlow Council has been supporting the tenant. HTS worked during Friday evening to make the property secure so the tenant was able to move back in.
Over the weekend housing officers have remained on standby to assist where needed. Housing officers will also visit the block this morning to provide reassure to other residents who may have been affected by what happened.
Councillor Mark Ingall, the Leader of Harlow Council, said: “I would like to thank residents for their actions and thank the fire service for responding so quickly and also thank HTS and council officers for their response, support and actions following the fire.
“We take the safety of our tower blocks very seriously and we keep our plans under regular review working with the fire service to ensure our residents remain safe. It’s important that residents regularly check that their smoke alarms are working, remain vigilant and make themselves aware of evacuation procedures.”
More information on tower block safety can be read at www.harlow.gov.uk/fire-safety
