Piles of soot can be seen inside the block of flat where a man fell from a 16th floor window when he was "trapped" inside during a fire when residents claim they didn't hear alarms going off. Residents of Twinnell House in Easton, Bristol, were forced to flee their homes in the early hours of Sunday [September 25] morning after a fire broke out on the top floor at 2.15am.
Police said the man who died is “believed to have fallen from the 16th floor as he tried to escape the fire inside the flat”. Residents claim fire alarms did not sound in the building, leaving police to bang on doors to wake residents and get them to safety.
Seven were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and another for minor burns. A first look inside the building showed thick, black soot on the staircases and the walls leading to the upper floors.
Read more: Easton tower block fire updates: Man dead and eight in hospital after blaze
A door taken off of its hinges lay propped against a window in the stairwell of the 12th floor and another door had been discarded against a corridor wall on the 15th floor. Puddles of water lay on the concrete ground and smoke residue was on the walls of the stairway.
Wooden front doors to the individual flats were damaged, with wood splintering away next to the handle and lock. Residents speculated it was from emergency workers attempting to force entry to homes.
Asked about allegations residents didn't hear a fire alarm, a Bristol City Council spokesperson said: "The fire service, supported by the council, are investigating the circumstances around the fire and this will include how all fire systems operated. We cannot speculate on what occurred until the detail of last night’s events are known."
Speaking on Sunday, an Avon and Somerset Police said it is believed the man who died was trying to get out when he fell from the building. A force spokesperson said: "We believe, at this point, that unfortunately the man after climbing out the window to try and escape the fire."
Reports two other men in the flat successfully climbed along the outside edge of the building to neighbouring properties, are yet to be confirmed by authorities.
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