Barking and Dagenham Council has launched a fundraising page to support devastated families and “get them back on their feet” after a major fire broke out across a tower block.
Around 225 fire fighters and 40 fire engines were called to tackle a huge blaze at the Spectrum Building on Freshwater Road in Dagenham at 2.44am on Monday morning.
More than 80 residents were evacuated from the six-storey building and 20 residents were rescued, with two people being taken to hospital.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has said all of the residents have now been accounted for, and an investigation into the cause of the fire in collaboration with the police has begun.
Residents were taken to an emergency rest centre where they have been supported by staff and visited by Darren Rodwell, leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, ward councillors and Margaret Mullane, the area’s local MP.
The council says it has provided emergency accommodation to residents who are unable to return home and have nowhere to stay.
Lukasz and Agnieszka, a couple who live at the building and are due to get married in Poland in a fortnight, say they have “lost everything”, including Agnieszka’s £2,500 wedding dress which they picked up just two days before the fire.
A fundraiser has been launched on GoFundMe by the council, and has raised £9,552 out of a £20,000 target at the time of writing, which the council says is to help families impacted by the fire.
The council wrote on its fundraising page: “As you can imagine, it’s an extremely difficult time for the people who have lost everything, and while their personal possessions can never be replaced, this will hopefully help them get back on their feet in the coming weeks.
“We’re asking people not to come to the rest centre with items for donation at the moment because our staff are trying to support people who are understandably distressed. The best way you can help right now is by donating on this page.
“This is the official crowdfunding page, endorsed by Barking and Dagenham Council, to raise funds for those who have been affected.”
A planning application from June 2023 reveals “remedial work” had been approved to remove non-compliant cladding on floors five and six of the building.
The fire service said the building, which is not council-owned, had a number of “known” fire safety issues.
On Tuesday LFB’s commissioner Andy Roe said the investigation is going to be “difficult” as some of the building is currently unsafe to enter.
Speaking from the scene, Mr Roe said: “Due to the extensive damage to the building, with parts of it now being declared unsafe to access, it is difficult to make entry in there to do that investigation.
“That means it is likely to be protracted and our fire investigation and fire safety officers are likely to be on-scene for many days.”
Matt Wrack, general secretary of Fire Brigades Union said: “Once again, a fire has erupted in a residential building wrapped in flammable cladding.
“There needs to be an urgent and swift investigation of how this has been allowed to happen.”
