Fire crews at Dorney over the weekend [❤️Camden Facebook group]

RESIDENTS on an estate which was completely evacuated for weeks over a fire safety alert say they were on “tenterhooks” when a blaze torched part of a stairwell over the Easter weekend.

Firefighters were called to the Dorney tower of the five-block Chalcots estate in Adelaide Road, Belsize Park, on Saturday morning. Nobody was injured and the cause has not been confirmed.

Mandy Ryan, the acting chair of the tenants and residents association, said she noticed a large pile of rubbish including full bin bags and a mattress at the bottom of the stairs the evening before.

The fire in the stairwell and, below, the burned rubbish [Both pics: ❤️Camden Facebook group] 

She said when she came back from a dog walk on Saturday morning she saw fire crews at the scene.

“I returned at around 8am to see two fire engines and the smoke had gone up and everything was on fire,” said Ms Ryan.

“Residents are very scared. It was right next to the gas pipes next to the basement. I’m on the 22nd floor with a disabled partner. Everyone is on tenterhooks.”

In unprecedented scenes, all tenants and leaseholders were told to quickly pack some things and leave their homes on a Friday evening in June 2017.

Mandy Ryan reported the dumped rubbish and mattress on Friday – and, right, the fire-marked stairwell after the blaze

Some ended up sleeping on the floor of the Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre, and others spent days or weeks in hotel. Camden sent out the order after fire safety flaws were discovered in the wake of the Grenfell tower block tragedy in west London.

There have been long-term calls for it to be clearly established what went wrong and when, and how people ended up being forced from their homes, but the secrets remain tangled up in remnants of a private finance initiative which the New Labour government had insisted had to be used to refurbish the estate.

The lack of accountability in this means of funding has been criticised and ministers at the time faced a severe backlash for not simply investing in estate repairs.

Ms Ryan said: “Since 2017 they were all fire-safety conscious. I’m reporting hazards all the time, but the council doesn’t seem to do anything or even communicate.

They don’t seem to be interested. No notices were put up to reassure everyone, I had to do it myself.” Another resident, Bujar Bublica, said he was worried when he saw smoke rising from the basement.

Mr Bublica recalled how in 2017, just three weeks after he moved into Dorney, the Chalcots estate was evacuated following the detection of dangerous aluminium composite material cladding in its walls, which was the same cladding in Grenfell Tower.

He told the New Journal: “It just triggers that PTSD: ‘Uh oh, it’s happening again, we have to go out of our house, try to find a new flat.’ “There’s been rubbish down there many times, not just this time. It’s been going on since I’ve moved in here to be honest. There’s been so much going on – people sleeping under there, youngsters smoking and gathering up there till 6am.”

A Camden Council spokesperson said the London Fire Brigade extinguished a fire in the bin store at Dorney on Saturday morning. The spokesperson added: “The bins store area is safe but temporarily closed off to residents. We will now make some repairs and redecorate before it is reopened.

“We are in contact with the London Fire Brigade and once we receive their incident report, we shall make an informed decision on what action should be taken. We are examining CCTV footage, and if this is arson related, robust action will follow.”

SEE ALSO CNJ’S BIRTHDAY – SUPPORT CAMPAIGNING JOURNALISM

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK. CLICK BANNER.