An unnamed man died after a fire broke out in a two-bedroom flat on the 17th floor of Neutron Tower in Poplar, east London, during the early hours of Saturday.
Residents said many were alerted by neighbours knocking on doors and shouting for them to evacuate, rather than by the building’s alarm system. Others described dark stairwells and landings with no visible emergency lighting.
Two adults and a child were rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus. Roughly half of the flat and its balcony were destroyed.
Emergency response and investigation
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called at 04:35 and said the fire was under control by 06:41.
The brigade’s Fire Investigation Team is examining “a range of factors” to establish what caused the blaze. No official conclusion has been reached about the fire’s origin or whether the alarms and emergency lighting operated as intended.
FirstPort, the building’s management company, said it would not speculate while the investigation continued. The firm expressed its condolences and said helping affected residents remained its immediate priority.
What residents heard and saw
Katarzyna, who lives on the fifth floor with her husband and two children, said a neighbour from the 19th floor first noticed smoke. People gathered outside and shouted: “fire, fire, out”.
She said her husband began knocking on doors along the fifth floor while the family collected passports and left.
“We grabbed our passports and got out – it was pandemonium and my husband was banging on all the doors on the fifth floor to alert neighbours,” she told BBC London.
Katarzyna said the smoke and heat alarms in her flat did not sound. She also described walking down the stairwell in complete darkness.
“The staircase was pitch black when we walked down, there was no emergency lighting,” she said.
Priya Armstrong-Pond, a resident on the seventh floor, said her next-door neighbour woke after hearing people shouting and went along the corridor warning others to leave.
“My neighbour was banging the door, there were no fire alarms going off,” she said. “When we came out there was no lighting at all in the landing and nothing on the stairs. No concierge was there, no one was there to help us.”
By the time residents reached the outside, Armstrong-Pond said the entire 17th-floor flat had been burnt out and its balcony had been destroyed.
For many residents, the lack of alarms and illuminated escape routes was the most alarming part of the night. Their accounts have not yet been established as findings by the fire investigation.
Flooding reported before the fire
Armstrong-Pond said the building had experienced serious flooding on the Friday evening, shortly before the fire.
“Around 5pm, I got a call saying there was water on the stairs and the landing – it was like torrential rain but inside,” she said.
According to Armstrong-Pond, the water disappeared after roughly six hours, but the electricity remained on in her flat. She said it was not operating in the communal areas and that water had entered all the lifts.
FirstPort did not provide a separate account of the flooding or the building’s electrical systems. Its statement focused on supporting residents and said further information would be released as plans developed.
Residents displaced while return is assessed
Many residents have been staying in a nearby hotel, with some having to pay for their own rooms. Katarzyna said she had booked a hotel room until Tuesday, while Armstrong-Pond said she had not been told when families could return home.
FirstPort said all residents had been contacted and its on-site team continued to provide support, including arranging temporary accommodation where required.
“Our immediate priority remains the safety of residents,” the company said. “All residents have been contacted, and our teams have been providing direct support since the incident, including arranging temporary accommodation where required.”
There is currently no confirmed timeframe for residents returning to Neutron Tower. Any decision will be made in consultation with emergency services once it is considered safe.
For Katarzyna, the darkness outside the building brought back painful memories of the Grenfell Tower fire.
“This building stood like a dark tower last night. It takes you back to Grenfell – a dark building in a sea of light,” she said.
Why it Matters
A fatal tower fire is a tragedy for the family and everyone affected, but reports of alarms not sounding and emergency lighting failing raise urgent questions about life-safety systems in high-rise homes. Residents’ ability to hear a warning, see a safe escape route and leave quickly can be critical in the earliest minutes of a fire. Those accounts will now carry particular significance as investigators examine the cause of the blaze and building management prepares for any necessary safety measures.
