A coroner at an inquest investigating the death of a woman at a London apartment in 2012, has severely criticised the managers of the housing block where she died. And even more shockingly, the bosses of property firm the Komoto Group have failed in their duty to regularly test the smoke detectors in the two years since. Young architect, Sophie Rosser, aged 23, came home to the Isle of Dogs apartment block she shared with finance Oscar Silva, to find smoke pouring from the windows of the apartment block. Believing he was trapped inside the flat, she rushed inside in an attempt to rescue him. Silva, however, had escaped onto a balcony, and tragically, Rosser was overcome by smoke fumes and died of burns later that day.
A catalogue of safety failures at the apartment were recorded, with only one fire risk assessment having been carried out at the block between 1997 and 2012. Additionally, the fire ventilation shaft was too small, and the smoke detectors had never been tested. Coroner Mary Hassell, although ruling the death to be accidental, stated that Rosser could well still be alive if the fire had been contained by a self-closing fire door which had never been repaired. “The one thing that would have made the world of difference, is if the door to flat 101 (where the fire broke out) had been closed.”
The case once again illustrates the very real and tragic consequences of failing to properly identify and manage fire risk. For free impartial advice call us on 0203 4787347, or contact us online.