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Unit 36 - Forensic Fire Investigation Assignment 2 (Pass)
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The Fire at 85 Harrow Court, Stevenage – 2nd February 2005.Abstract
This Fire Investigation report is based on information which was available during the time this report was being
produced regarding the Harrow Court Stevenage fire. During the early hours of 2 nd February 2005 a fire take
place in flat 85 Harrow Court, the fire was situated on the 14 th floor of an 18 storey residential tower block in
Stevenage, Hertfordshire. This fire resulted in the death of two firefighters and one occupant during an event
of abnormal rapid fire development (ARFD.) The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the overall
investigation and conclusions drawn from it along with an accurate description and timeline of the incidents
events and the emergency response to the incident. It’s important to note that this report will also include
building regulation and standards as well as summary, findings and recommendations. This summarised
report will attempt to provide you with an understanding in relation to the actual incident and how issues
arose from it.
Introduction.
On Wednesday 2nd February 2005 at approximately 02.58hrs, the first of numerous calls were received by
Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue service in regard to a suspected fire on the 15 th floor of Harrow Court, Silam Road,
Stevenage. The caller exclaimed that there were people in the flat, he was sure there was because he stated
that apparently, he could hear them shouting. Harrow Court is known as a residential tower block, consisting
of 18 storeys and is found in Silam Road, Stevenage which is near to the town centre. Harrow Court is just one
of the five high rise tower blocks which Stevenage Borough Council own in Stevenage. The building consists of
103 flats with six flats present on every floor, besides the ground floor where the is only one flat. Out of 103
flats just 29 are private leasehold. Harrow Court was constructed between the years 1965-1967. At 03.00hrs,
just two minutes after the first call had been made two fire appliances were immediately despatched from
Stevenage Fire Station which is around half a mile from where the incident occurred.
Upon arrival to Harrow Court at 03.00hrs it was noted that there was a fire on the 14 th or 15th floor. Three fire
fighters named Helen Antrobus, Michael Miller and Jeffery Wornham went aloft in an attempt to locate and
fight the fire. Having established that there was a fire on the 14 th floor two fire fighters Michael Miller and
Jefferey Wornham entered flat 85 where they were able to rescue one of the occupants a male called Nicholas
Savage. They left Mr Savage outside the flat before they re-entered in an attempt to search for the second
occupant a female Natalie Close which they had been informed was still present inside the burning building.
During this time Helen Antrobus the third firefighter had laid out a hose line to the flat and was trying to open
the riser outlet to charge the hose, however, failed to do so. The two firefighters re-entered the flat but failed
to have any water to carry out firefighting or to essentially protect themselves from possible fire development.
Concequently, upon the second entry a major for development occurred within the flat majorly due to the
amount of oxygen which had now entered the flat. The fire had now become serious, Jeffery Wornham in an
attempt to escape the fire had gotten tangled up in cables which had fallen down across the flats open front
door (the plastic trunking which was storing the cables from the fires heat had melted.)
When reinforcing crews finally managed to enter the fire-engulfed area they came across Wornham in the
lobby just outside the flat, he was still tangled up in the cables and Michael Miller was still in the bedroom
where the fire had started originally, he was near to Ms Natalie Close. Wornham was cut free from the cables
before being recovered from the lobby and taken to the hospital where he sadly died from his injuries
sustained. In line with service procedures, after the situation with Miller and Ms Close had been established
both of them had been left for forensic examination in situ.
Description & Incident Timeline.
Below is a timeline in relation to the sequence in how the events are to have occurred in relation to Harrow
Court Fire. The events stated are leading up to, during and immediately after the fire had occurred:
Occupants (Natalie Close and Nicholas Savage) of flat number 85 Harrow Court had borrowed a number of tea
lights from their neighbour (Ms Quinlan) due to their prepaid electricity meter having had run out on the
evening of Tuesday 1st February 2005 at around 21.00hrs . In the police statement of Mr Savage he stated that
he placed two of the tea lights directly on top of the television in the main bedroom where both Mr Savage
and Ms Close sleep, he lit the tea lights with his cigarette lighter. Between 23.00 and 23.30hrs both of them
went to bed where they laid there chatting, their initial plan was to blow them out before they went to sleep
but Concequently they both happened to fall asleep and left the candles alight.
At 02.58.59hrs the first 999 call was received regarding the fire; the call was issued by Mr Brown a resident
who resides in No.95 Harrow Court on the 16 th floor, he stated he believed the fire to be in flat 89 on the 15 th
1
Report by Lauren Davies
, The Fire at 85 Harrow Court, Stevenage – 2nd February 2005.
floor. Mr Brown stated that when looking out of his window in the lounge he spotted black smoke coming out
of the bathroom window of a flat which was below him. He further stated he could smell smoke for several
minutes before he got out of bed and looked out the window. After making the phone call he left his flat to
check on the fires location. When Mr Brown was making his way down the rear stairs to the 15 th floor he came
across Ms Holt and Ms Cuffe who were both leaving flat 91. Ms Holt and Ms Cuffe stated they had become
aware of the smell of smoke. Ms Holts and Ms Cuffe’s flat is directly above flat 85, it’s said they heard noises
from the flat below these noises were described by them as a “male shouting”, “animal scratching” before
coming to the realisation that it sounded like electricity sparking. Ms Cuffe claims she then looked out of her
bedroom window where she saw flames coming out of a window from the flat which was below theirs. Mr
Brown checked flat 89 where he initially believed the fire to be, here, Mr Brown came across a drunken male
who was laying on the floor outside this fat upon looking through the letterbox he established that it wasn’t
this flat on fire. All three of them (Mr Brown, Ms Holt & Ms Cuffe) then made their way down the rear stairs
before establishing that flat No 85 on the 14 th floor was on fire. It’s important to note that Mr Brown did try
the door handle but found the door to be locked.
At 03.00.42hrs Fire Control assigned two appliances from Stevenage Fire Station as a ‘persons reported call.’
At 03.00.48hrs Ms Cuffe activates the fire alarm outside flat 90 through breaking the glass box. This
information was recorded by the Redcare, the service which monitors Harrow courts AFD system. However,
around this time it’s also believed that automatic detector head present in the common area might’ve been
activated, thus, indicating that smoke at this stage was now coming out of flat 85 and into the lobby area
outside the flat.
At 03.01.00 hrs from Mr Savages police statement it states that when he heard the fire alarm, he was situated
in the lounge of flat 85. Shortly after this at 03.01.11hrs the DO Drakes were informed.
At 03.01.37hrs after Mr Savage’s exact location was confirmed, Mr Brown to go down and meet the fire
service entered the right-hand lift, particularly because he had previously given the wrong address the fire
service. At 03.02.10hrs Mr Brown exited the lift on the ground floor.
At 03.03.16hrs firefighters arrive to the entrance of Harrow Court. Upon arrival the crews present notice
smoke coming from an upper floor of the flats. Firefighter Dudley stated that she “could see plumes of smoke
coming horizontally out from one of the upper floors, this was dark grey and looked heavy — This was a real
incident.” Mr Savage in the police statement stated that at 03.03.28hrs he spotted the fire brigade from his
window in the lounge of his flat.
At 03.03.30hrs Ms Holt & Ms Cuffe continued to make their way down the rear stairs to the ground floor
where they met with Mr Brown who had arrived at the lobby previously. Not even seconds after Ms Holt & Ms
Cuffe arrived downstairs at 03:03:35hrs a firefighter named Helen Antrobus entered the building where she
was met with Mr Brown and Ms Cuffe who both inform her of the actual address being number 85 on the 14 th
floor and that there are two individuals present within the flat. CCTV showed that firefighter Antrobus was
seen speaking to another firefighter known as Scotchford who was present just outside the door of the
entrance.
At 03.03.41hrs firefighter Scotchford entered the building before going into the lift present in the lobby where
Mr Brown was waiting by the lift. Whilst, firefighter Antrobus held the entrance door open for firefighter
Jeffrey Wornham to enter. Wornham is holding the breaking-in tool and stands by the stairs as Antrobus
enters along with Michael Miller who is carrying the hose.
At 03.03.50hrs firefighter Scotchford goes to the right lift along with Mr Brown. Mr Brown calls the lift.
However, then at 03.03.56hrs firefighter Scotchford passes firefighters Antrobus, Wornham, and Miller before
exiting the building.
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Report by Lauren Davies
, The Fire at 85 Harrow Court, Stevenage – 2nd February 2005.
At 03.04.02hrs Antrobus, Wornham, and Miller enter the right-hand lift and go to the 14 th floor, taking with
them 1 line of hose, 1 branch (nozzle), and 1 Haligan tool (forcible entry tool.) During this time Scotchford
states he shouted to the three firefighters to ‘hang on and not go up.’ Scotchford further stated that he
radioed to Antrobus exclaiming that “You are on your way now when you get there tell me what’s happening.”
It’s important to note that in firefighter Dudley’s statement he mentioned that he was unhappy with the
departure of the three firefighters.
At 03.03.14hrs from Antrobus’s police statement it’s implied that she provided her helmet for Wornham due
to the fact he didn’t have his helmet and was only wearing his fire hood. Then, at 03.03.17hrs firefighter
Dudley is talking to Mr Brown, in his police statement Mr Brown emphasised that when speaking to Dudley,
Dudley stated “they’re supposed to wait here, and he appeared annoyed.”
At 03.05.00hrs Miller, Wornham, and Antrobus get to flat number 85 on the 14 th floor by now they had exited
the right-hand lift at the 14 th floor, both Miller and Wornham were rigged in BA (Breathing Apparatus). It’s
believed they observed a small layer of dark-grey wispy smoke which was coming from the top of the door,
Antrobus stated that she recognised this smoke as a fire which was being starved of oxygen, at this point in
time she didn’t hear any activity within the flat. It’s important to note that the three firefighters run to the 15 th
floor using the rear stairs to check flat 89 to verify the information, which was provided by Mr Brown, before
they returned to the 14th floor using the same stairs.
At around 03.03.10hrs Paul Wright from flat 84 from his interview with the Fire Investigation Team states that
he was standing in the lobby kicking flat 85’s door. Mr Wright spots both Miller and Wornham in the rear
stairwell going to floor 15, however, spots Antrobus and knocks on the stairwells fire glass door to inform her
that the fire is in flat 85, which is opposite him. To call Wornham and Miller down from the 15 th floor Antrobus
uses her radio. When Wornham and Miller arrive at flat 85, Mr Wright exits the building, whilst exiting the
building he states that he heard a ‘bang’ and believes that it was one of the firefighters attempting to get into
the flat. Mr Wright further mentioned that he didn’t actually witness this or that he doesn’t remember seeing
any hoses.
At 03.05.19hrs Antrobus leaves both Miller and Wornham and instructs them to prepare for entry into flat 85,
before she made her way to the riser outlet with the hose to sort out water. However, upon arrival at the riser
outlet she states that she established that the riser outlet was padlocked and chained.
At around 03.06.00hrs Mr Savage stated in his police statement that he heard a bang on his flat door and
someone shouting, “open up.” Mr Savage further stated that he replied back that he couldn’t get to the door ,
the flat door then burst open before a firefighter entered and went into the lounge.
At around 03.06.31hrs Antrobus ran the hose from the riser and back along the corridor towards flat 85.
However, when she arrived at the lobby just outside of the flat, she discovers that it is smoke logged and
Wornham and Miller are no longer where she originally left them. However, the flat door is now open, she
decided to leave the branch outside of the flat before making her way back to the riser outlet, but she is
unsure how she got back there. It was also spotted on CCTV at 03.06.55hrs that large smoke plumes were
externally seen, but the camera only showed up to the height of the 4 th floor.
At around 03.07.00hrs Mr Savage was guided out of the flat by a firefighter, at this time Mr Savage also
informs the firefighter that there is another individual still present inside the flat. Around this time at
03.07.09hrs Mr Wright who lives at number 84 also left the building using the front staircase.
At around 03.07.30hrs a major fire development inside flat 85 has taken place.
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Report by Lauren Davies
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