City tower block evacuated due to 'serious' structural issue

NationalWorld.com

Around 400 people and kids were told to leave Barton House in Bristol immediately on Monday after the issue was discovered. It is understood the issue at the building, which contains 98 flats, was related to fire safety.

Transcript

00:00 So we've been conducting some surveys on the buildings. It's on this tower block and obviously

00:16 it's coming to the point at which decisions need to be made about its future. As a part

00:20 of a wider programme of estate regeneration, in that survey we found some structural issues

00:25 that were concerning. So we had that survey reviewed and upon receiving the results of

00:30 that survey we've immediately moved people out of the building. Well we could carry out

00:34 some more surveys. We've surveyed three flats within the building, there are 98 in the building,

00:38 so there's a lot more survey work to do. But in the meantime we've been very cautious.

00:42 The safety of residents is absolutely paramount so we moved them out today once we start to

00:47 carry out those surveys.

00:48 The risk is of a fire or some other event occurring that will have a structural issue

01:01 on the building. So, I can get into the technicalities of it but there's essentially a problem of

01:07 a fire or a gas explosion.

01:11 I don't know if there's panic but obviously there's a lot of confusion as this is an emergency

01:29 situation that's unfolding live and we've been frantically trying to deal with this

01:32 all throughout this afternoon. So I don't think panic is the right word but there's

01:36 certainly a lot to happen in a very short space of time with a lot of people trying

01:40 to carry out, well not enough people trying to carry out too many jobs.

01:42 So we're asking people to go and stay with friends and relatives where they can. If not

01:53 we're providing information points at the mosque and at the apartment house settlement

01:57 which is just along the road and then we'll decant people into an emergency bed situation

02:01 which is in the city hall.

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Transcript

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