Watford: Abbey View residents scared after return home

People were evacuated from a number of flats in the tower block on Garsmouth Way

Residents say they are "petrified" following a fire at a tower block.

The blaze, in Abbey View on the Meridien Estate in Watford on Tuesday, is believed to have started in a bin storage area, the fire service said.

Some residents have claimed sprinkler and smoke alarms did not activate in some areas of the building.

Watford Community Housing said fire safety systems "performed as designed" and the building was "compliant with safety regulations".

The fire, which started at about 04:50 BST at the 17-storey block on the Meridien Estate, spread to flats on the lower floors, and residents were evacuated from 94 flats.

Two boys, aged 13 and 14, have been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, Hertfordshire Police said.

Several of the lower floor flats were affected

Resident Amanda, who lives on the seventh floor with her two children, said she was "woken up by someone shouting to get out because there was a fire".

"My fire alarms weren't going off upstairs, no fire alarms were going off upstairs, no sprinklers were going off, nothing was going off," she said.

"It's not safe to be in [those] flats, especially if you're at that height."

Christina Sladkeviciute, who lives on the fourth floor, said her 12-year-old son was woken up by a neighbour "shouting 'fire, fire' 20 times". He then woke her up.

She said she slept in her clothes on the sofa the following night because she did not feel safe.

"I've spoken to quite a few residents today and nobody has slept, we're all petrified."

Fire and smoke damage to some flats can be seen above the area where it is thought the fire started

Tina Barnard, chief executive of Watford Community Housing, which manages the block, said the building "remains compliant with safety regulations" and "all areas [of the block] are comprehensively covered by sounders and the sprinkler system".

She said investigations were ongoing in conjunction with the fire service but it was "satisfied that the building's fire safety systems performed as designed".

"The sounders only activate in areas that are immediately affected, in line with the fire strategy which has been developed in partnership with Herts Fire and Rescue Service," she said.

She added that during Tuesday's blaze, which started in an external area, the sprinkler systems "did deploy in the internal areas that were affected by the fire".

"The system is designed to limit activation to areas that are directly affected to avoid the potential for widespread water damage," she said.

"The fire was external to the building and damaged a sprinkler feed pipe, which caused a disruption to the system.

"This was an unforeseen event and is being reviewed with the system installers. All other fire safety systems were operational at all times."

Ms Barnard added that while repairs were being undertaken on the sprinkler system, it had enhanced its overnight security presence.

She added that the organisation had arranged alternative accommodation for residents of five flats who had not been able to return home.