Cambridgelaan facade is a fire hazard

Following the major fire in the Grenfell Tower in London, in 2017, all municipalities in the Netherlands had to carry out an investigation to find out which buildings had a high risk of catching fire. The municipality of Utrecht did its part and discovered in 2021 that three buildings could be classified as "high risk". This week, the municipal council wrote a letter informing that the high-rise on Cambridgelaan is the only one that still doesn't meet all fire safety requirements.

Fire watch
These past few months, an independent agency conducted a study on the building, whose results were unveiled in mid-June. It turns out that the materials used in the building's facade are highly inflammable, so there is a great risk of flames spreading rapidly in the event of a fire.

Following the study, SSH held meetings with the municipality and they decided to take action immediately. So, the renovation works started this week already. Extra fire-resistant panels are being installed on the facade, the windows in the stairwells will be better sealed against flames, and the escape routes will be thoroughly inspected. All fire extinguishers will be checked as well and the building is going to get an additional sprinkler system. Last but not least, a fire watch has been deployed to keep an eye on the building outside office hours and call 112 if necessary.

Escape routes
A meeting is going to be held on Wednesday with those living in the building to tell them to be even more mindful of situations that may start a fire and make sure not to block any escape routes. During this meeting, the residents will be able to ask questions as well.

According to SSH, the investigation carried out by the independent agency was key to determining exactly what kind of risks the building was running. In June, after the report came to light, SSH immediately called the municipality to take action.

The measures being taken now are of an emergency nature, to improve the fire safety of the building. After the current works are done, SSH will see if any structural changes can be made to the building to meet fire safety standards.