Residents living at an East Bristol tower block that caught fire in the early hours of Sunday morning have spoken of "chaotic scenes". A man died trying to escape the top floor fire and eight people are in hospital after a fire ripped through the Bristol tower block yesterday.
Emergency services were called just after 2.15am on Sunday (September 25) to a fire on the top floor of Twinnell House at Wills Drive, Easton. Bristol City Council has said it was working with police and the fire service to investigate the incident.
In a statement the local authority said: "Following the fire at Twinnell House in Easton last night, our thoughts remain with the person who lost their life, and their loved ones. We are working with Avon and Somerset Police and Avon Fire and Rescue Service to investigate what happened, and continue to offer support to all residents."
Around 90 residents were evacuated as a result of the fire. Many spoke of their shock from the scene on Sunday morning.
Read more: Easton tower block fire updates: Man dead and eight in hospital after blaze
A thirteenth floor resident claimed he didn’t hear a fire alarm, adding he was alerted about the fire by his housemate. This claim of not hearing an alarm go off has been made by many residents at the scene.
They ran downstairs, he continued, and claimed that as he was doing so a police officer told them they were having to knock door by door to wake people up.
“It was insane,” he said. “If the fire had been on one of the middle floors, it could have been really bad. When I got outside, there were lots of people already there. More than a hundred and lots of children live here too.
“More people were still coming outside at 3am as they didn’t know what was happening.”
The Twinnell House resident - who has lived in the tower block for ten years - added: “I do not know if my flat had been damaged. Everyone is worried and upset.
“We were lucky that only person died."
Saed Abdi lives on a one-bedroom flat on the fourteenth floor with his wife and four children. Mr Abdi said he was working at the time the fire broke out, but that someone rang him to tell him.
The dad - whose children are aged between one and six - immediately tried contacting his wife, who was at home with the kids, but he was not able to get through to her. Mr Abdi said it was nearly 3am by the time he got back to Twinnell House, and also claimed there were no fire alarms going off.
"When I got here, they were still inside the flat," he said. "I just had to go back inside, no one had knocked on their door by this point.
"There was a lot of fire at the time, but I didn't even think about it and went inside - all I could think about was my children.
"The further up you went, the more I could smell the smoke. I just got them as fast as I could - some of the kids were naked and we just ran down. It was very chaotic.
"A lot of people were not aware of the fire by this point and there were lots coming out."
Mr Abdi - who has lived at the tower block for six years - said they knocked on their neighbours' doors to wake them up. The dad said the whole family have spent the night in their car.
"I do not want to go back up there," he added. "Imagine if the fire had broken out in the middle, we would have been stuck - it is lucky it happened on a top floor.
"A lot more people could have died, it is a miracle that only one person died - it could have been a lot worse if you think about it."
Another Twinnell House resident, who has lived in the block for 20 years, said he was asleep at the time and got woken up by banging on his door.
“There was a police officer there and they said there was fire on the top floor and that I had to get out,” he continued. “I spent the night at the church. I feel anxious and worried.”
Terry Wootten, who has lived at Twinnell House for 32 years, said he was asleep at the time and got woken up by shouting and screaming, adding that at first he thought there was a fight on the street.
“I decided to get out of my flat as I guessed there was something wrong,” he continued. “I didn’t know there was a fire when I first got out.
“There were lots of people outside already. I have no medication, no walking stick - nothing. I’ve nowhere to go. I have not been able to sleep all night. I am really angry.”
A mum living on the 16th floor, where the fire started, said she was trapped inside her flat with her three children - including a five-month-old - for half an hour.
The resident, who didn’t wish to be named, said she got woken up by her baby crying and smelt smoke and didn't hear the alarm going off.
The resident said she could hear banging on the corridor so she went to open her front door but that, when she tried to do so, there were lots of smoke.
“I called the emergency services, we could not even open the front door because of the amount of smoke,” she said. “It was terrifying.
“The fire brigade eventually came to get us, but there was lots of smoke by this point.”
“We were in there [trapped in the flat] for 20 to 30 minutes," she said. “I was so scared for my kids.
“We had to go to hospital for smoke inhalation and they [her children] are with family now."
Mark Barrett, a fourth floor resident at Twinnell House, was one of the people to call the emergency services and also claimed he didn’t hear a fire alarm.
As he was standing on the tower block’s driveway, he saw some glass fell from the top windows, which was followed by dense black smoke and then by fire.
“There were people shouting “help, help”, he said. “There was fire coming out of three windows by this point - you could see it was a serious fire.”
A fifteenth floor resident, who has lived at Twinnell House for 21 years, said he was asleep at the time and got woken up by banging on his door. However, he said he decided not to open the door at first as he was worried it was someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs, adding they have had banging on their door in the middle of the night before.
The dad-of-two - who gave his name as A.G - said: "They banged the door again and I could hear other noises going on so I then decided to open the door. It was emergency services people."
The resident said he initially thought they would be allowed back inside their flats after an hour, adding they spent the night in the nearby church in the end.
He added: "It was very scary and I was very worried for our safety. You think more of your kids than yourself in a situation like that. I feel in a limbo now."
Another fifteenth floor resident, who has lived at Twinnell House for less than two months, said they were sleeping when he heard noise coming from the street, adding initially he thought it was people fighting. He then saw all the emergency services outside so they decided to get out.
"When we went outside there were lots of smoke so we knew there was something going on," he said. "We were very scared as we didn't know whether the fire was above or below us.
"My wife decided to run down the stairs and I just followed her - it was very scary."
The man said that his wife fainted when they got to the street, adding she had to checked over by the ambulance service but didn't require hospital treatment.
"She is with friends now and I spent the night at the church," he added. "I do not think she will want to go back inside that flat after this, she is very scared."
Residents living in the 14th, 15th, and 16th floors of Twinnell House in Easton spent Sunday night away from home after they were evacuated from the building following the fire. Those living on the 14th and 15th floors were allowed back in their homes for a short period to collect essential items on Sunday afternoon, but then asked to leave again.
People living in the rest of the building - from the 13th floor downwards, were gradually let back in to their homes during Sunday afternoon.
Read more:
- Easton tower block fire updates: Man dead and eight in hospital after blaze
- Pictures and video from the scene of blaze
- Man who died in Bristol flat fire fell from top floor trying to escape the blaze
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