Developer Ballymore was one of 14 firms ‘named and shamed’ by government for failing to remove cladding from its buildings

A fire at a 19-storey residential block in east London that is clad in Grenfell-style ACM cladding has been brought under control, the developer behind the scheme has said.

Around 125 firefighters and 20 fire enginers were fighting the blaze this morning at Ballymore’s 1,535-home New Providence Wharf block in Poplar, according to the London Fire Brigade.

Ballymore said in a statement: ”We can confirm that the fire was quickly brought under control by the Fire Brigade and is now extinguished. Our response team are on-site to support residents and assist with alternative accommodation where necessary.”

It added: ”Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this morning’s fire at New Providence Wharf. The safety of our residents is paramount and we are working closely with the London Fire Brigade.”

Footage posted on social media this morning showed parts of the eighth, ninth, and 10th floors on fire, with firefighters attempting to douse the flames from ladders. The London Fire Brigade said in a statement on Twitter: “Firefighters are tackling a fire at a 19-storey block of flats in Poplar. Parts of the 8th, 9th and 10th floors are alight. There are now 20 fire engines at the scene.” There have been no reports so far of any casualties.

The block, designed by SOM, made headlines in January after it emerged that its ACM style cladding had still not been removed three and a half years after the Grenfell Tower fire which claimed 72 lives in June 2017.

Ballymore subsidiary Landor Residential, which is understood to own the building, was one of 14 firms ‘named and shamed’ by the government in January for having failed to begin removing the cladding on their developments.

More recently the firm has been removed from the list.

Ballymore was quoted in January as saying that work to remove the cladding was “complicated” as the building faces directly onto the river and its apartments house more than 1,000 residents.

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The developer said that enabling work to replace the cladding started on site last week and that a main contractor ”had been due to take possession of the site this coming Monday”.

It added that ACM was present on around 22% of the building’s facade.

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