Residents still in hotels a week after tower fire

More than a week after a fire in an east London tower block, residents who had to leave their flats still have no idea when they will be able to go home.

One man died and more than 50 others were made temporarily homeless after flames ripped through part of the 17th and 18th floors of Neutron Tower, Poplar, on 12 September.

Those who have had to move out are staying in hotels - with no cooking or laundry facilities - while investigations, safety assessments and repairs are carried out.

Building manager First Port said it understood how "difficult and unsettling" this period of uncertainty was but it has to ensure the building is safe before allowing people back in.

In a recent letter from First Port, residents were told they should expect to stay in hotels for at least another eight days.

In the meantime, they are only able to access their flats for essentials.

Katarzyna Krupecka, who lives on the fifth floor of the 22-storey block on Blackwall Way told BBC London her family's living conditions were "difficult".

"It's not living, yes you have a roof over your head but I really wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

"It's very disruptive to education, we can see the children being affected

"You're living out of a suitcase, you don't have access to a washing machine, you don't have access to cooking equipment.

"I understand hey can't give us a definitive answer but I would at least like some sort of time frame...I want to go back home."

She added that residents did not feel they had been kept informed and some were worried about potential safety issues in the block.

First Port said the decision to extend hotel bookings had "not been taken lightly".

Neutron Tower resident Ayaz Rahman, who escaped the fire, said he and his disabled wife have been moved to different rooms in their hotel twice in the past week.

"It's a challenging situation every day we are facing....they (First Port) don't have any answers at the moment," he said.

His wife Bushra Chowdhry said: "The more the days go on, the more we realise we are homeless, we don't have anything to go back to."

Adam, who lives in a 12th floor flat with Danielle said they were in "limbo".

"Something has to be done and it has to be done soon but its not right how they're treating us at the moment

"We both didn't go to work last week as we had to sort various things out...it's been tough."

Following the fire, several residents said they believed it may have been linked to an flood the previous day.

Many described being alerted by neighbours as alarms did not sound, and they said emergency lighting did not activate.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it sent 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters to the tower and spent two hours bringing the flames under control.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk