Housing Management Estates Action HMEA
Housing Management Estates Action (HMEA) was a program, run by the Department of the Environment, aimed to improve the appearance and energy efficiency of high-rise buildings, and to tackle damp issues.Knowsley Heights was one of the buildings where an ACM cladding system was tested as part of the HMEA project.
A fire of the rubbish in an external storage was started deliberately, at the building's base, it spread rapidly through GRP cladding, and lack of fire barriers within the cavity between the cladding and the building's walls. The fire rapidly engulfed the north side but no fatalities occurred.
According to the BBC, the fire at Knowsley Heights involved cladding panels made by Arconic, the same company that manufactured the cladding used on Grenfell Tower. The refurbishment was funding by a government pilot scheme for cladding Housing Management Estates Action and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) had previously assessed the cladding and concluded that it did not pose a significant risk unless there were large cavities that could aid fire spread.
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