Maria Miller MP for Basingstoke has had a further meeting with Hampshire & IOW FRS concerning the Oakridge flat fire.
Maria said, “Transparency is paramount when it comes to safety. Following concerns raised, Hampshire and IOW FRS have agreed to hold a public drop-in session for residents in Oakridge to update them on the progress of the fire investigation, to allay concerns amongst residents in similar residential blocks and to give updates on the progress of the fire investigation.
“Residents have contacted me with their concern about the speed which the fire spread, the implications for evacuation policies and whether works will be needed in similar nearby blocks. To support all affected residents Hampshire and IOW FRS have agreed to hold a public drop-in event for Oakridge residents to hear more about the Fire Service independent investigation and how those findings will be shared with residents in the affected block and similar blocks nearby.
“Vivid Housing Association that owns the flats have been updating residents on a regular basis, and a public drop-in session will ensure that all residents affected by the flat fire will be able to talk about their concerns to fire experts and ask questions.
“There are extensive investigations being done following the Oakridge flat fire including an independent report by Kent FRS where the construction of the flats and similar flats in the area will be the focus of the investigation, due to the apparent speed that the fire spread.
“The extensive overall review of the fire which includes six workstreams looking at a variety of elements ranging from the initial cause of the fire, operational tactics, pre-planning, deployment, fire safety enforcement and an accident review due to three firefighters receiving injuries, will be published soon along with the independent fire investigation on the structure of the buildings”.
