News

The response by some sections of the national press to the tragic Camberwell fire has been deeply disappointing. More specifically, claims that the building was fitted with PVC-U window frames, which exacerbate the spread of fire were fundamentally flawed, alarmist and irresponsible.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) responded quickly by highlighting these erroneous reports and pointing out that the windows in the building were actually steel-framed rather than PVC-U.

“The BPF has clarified the situation regarding the Camberwell fire and pointed out that the building was fitted with steel window frames,” explained Chris Coxon, Marketing Manager at Eurocell. “The fire safety record of PVC-U remains unblemished.”

As long ago as the 1980s, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) carried out a series of tests which demonstrated that PVC-U frames do not pose an unacceptable risk and would not accelerate the development of a fire. As well as windows and doors, PVC-U is used on cable ducting within the home – a fact pointed out to those claiming it can exacerbate a fire.

[caption id="attachment_224" align="imgleft" width="150" caption="Read about the Building Research Establishment(BRE) test... "][/caption]

Chris Coxon continued: “We applaud the BPF for reacting swiftly and sensitively to the inaccurate claims of certain sections of the media. False information such as this is unhelpful to the ongoing investigations of the causes of the Camberwell fire and may, until the full report is published, lead to decisions on the future design of buildings being based on incorrect information.”

The report on the Camberwell fire is due to be published later this year.