Residents at Cranbrook House in Nottingham have now been able to return to their homes, less than 24 hours after a significant water leak and flooding affected the building’s fire alarm system and led to an evacuation in the early hours of morning Saturday 19 September.
Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, working alongside Local Resilience Forum partners including Nottingham City Council, advised the immediate evacuation of 60 residents after flooding across three floors significantly compromised the fire safety of the building.
Since the evacuation, a significant multi-agency effort has taken place to support displaced residents while work was carried out with the building’s management to make sure people could return safely.
Contractors, working alongside Fire Safety Inspectors from Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Fire Protection team, have been on site since 7am to ensure appropriate fire alarms were fitted and working before residents were allowed back into the building.
Earlier today, residents who were unable to stay with family or friends spent the night at St Mary’s Church. Nottingham City Council officers and members of the British Red Cross were also there to provide blankets and hot drinks, as well as advice and support.
The council opened up Loxley House at 6am on Saturday morning where staff supported around 30 residents to find temporary accommodation if it had been needed later, as well as provide food and refreshments.
Councillor Jay Hayes, Executive Member for Housing and Planning at Nottingham City Council, said: “This is a really good example of agencies in Nottingham working well together for the benefit of our residents. I’d like to thank everyone who’s been involved today and especially the support of St Mary’s Church and the Red Cross.
“Our target yesterday evening when we were informed about the situation at Cranbrook House was to ensure that all residents were safely evacuated and then returned to their homes within 24 hours. We achieved that and that’s really pleasing.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to the residents affected who found themselves involved in a difficult situation and have shown great patience and resilience over the course of the day.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Damien West said: “The safety of residents has been our priority throughout and I’m really pleased that, less than 24 hours after the evacuation began, people have been able to safely return to their homes.
“This has been a fantastic multi-agency effort and I’d like to thank our colleagues across the Local Resilience Forum, including Nottinghamshire Police, Nottingham City Council and East Midlands Combined County Authority, as well as the British Red Cross, St Mary’s Church and the management at Cranbrook House for their support.
“Most importantly, I’d like to thank the residents themselves. Everyone has been incredibly cooperative and patient throughout what has understandably been a disruptive and difficult day, and that has made our job much easier.”
Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service will continue to engage with the management of Cranbrook House into the next week to ensure appropriate fire safety arrangements remain in place.
