Neutron Tower fire: Poplar families still in hotels with no date to go home

Families who had to leave Neutron Tower in Poplar after the fire on 12 September are still living in hotels. None of them has been told when they can move back into their flats.

One man died in the fire, which started high up in the 22-storey block on Blackwall Way and damaged flats on floors 17 and 18. More than 50 people were left temporarily homeless. London Fire Brigade said it sent 10 engines and 70 firefighters, and crews needed two hours to get the fire under control. The cause is still being investigated.

Hotel stays extended by at least eight days

First Port, the building manager, has written to residents telling them to plan on at least eight more days in hotels. Until then they can go into their flats only to collect essentials. The company said it had “not taken lightly” the decision to extend the bookings, and that the tower had to be safe before anyone could return. It added that it understood how hard the uncertainty was for families.

The hotels have no kitchens and no laundry. Work at the tower is continuing while investigators, safety assessors and contractors carry out their checks and repairs.

Residents say they have been left without answers

Katarzyna Krupecka lives on the fifth floor. She said her family had been living out of a suitcase with no way to cook or wash clothes, and that the disruption was affecting the children’s education. She accepted that nobody could promise a firm date, but said even a rough idea of timing would help. “I want to go back home,” she said.

Ms Krupecka said residents did not feel they had been kept informed, and that some were worried about safety in the block. Ayaz Rahman, who escaped during the fire, said he and his disabled wife had been moved to different rooms in their hotel twice in a week. According to Mr Rahman, First Port could not yet answer their questions.

A couple from a flat on the 12th floor said they were in limbo. Both took time off work the previous week to deal with the aftermath of the fire.

Several residents believe the fire may have been linked to a flood in the building the day before. Many said the alarms did not go off and they only got out because neighbours knocked on their doors. They also said the emergency lighting failed to switch on.