Grenfell Tower cladding ‘burned as quickly as petrol and was 14 TIMES more combustible than the safety limit’
Researchers at the University of Leeds have revealed their damning findings on the deadly cladding
THE plastic core of the cladding used on Grenfell Tower could have burned as quickly as petrol, a fire safety expert has revealed.
The burning building's energy output would have been equivalent to burning 51 tonnes of pinewood, according to research by the University of Leeds.
Dr Roth Phylaktou, an expert in fire investigation, said the cladding combined with insulation was "optimum for vertical fire spread".
He told the : "If you set that on fire near the bottom you can imagine what would happen and how fast the fire will grow."
Before the blaze Grenfell Tower had been recently refurbished with Reynobond PE cladding - made of Reynolux-coated aluminium sheets over a highly flammable Reynobond polyethylene core.
Dr Phylaktou said: "The polyethylene in the cladding would have burnt as quickly as petrol."
Information released by French authorities reportedly indicated the cladding would have released 14 times more heat than a European standard of "limited combustibility".
All buildings over 18 metres which have submitted cladding samples have failed combustibility tests rolled out after the fire, the Department for Communities and Local Government said on Tuesday.
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reports 259 towers owned by councils, housing associations and private landlords failed tests - and 40 housing association blocks remain untested.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid admitted: "None of those tested have passed the limited combustibility test,"
It comes days after The Sun revealed the company behind the 'death trap' cladding, Harley Facades UK, hired a top PR firm hours after the disaster as the death toll rose.
Meanwhile, it has also emerged despite estimates that more than 170 TONNES of items were donated to the tower's residents, less than 10 per cent has actually reached survivors.
The dreadful fire killed at least 80 people, prompting councils across the UK to rush to remove at-risk cladding from tower blocks.
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