The first fire started on the 13^th floor of Lancaster Court, a 14-storey high-rise block managed by Northwards Housing. A week later, a second fire occurred on the first floor. In both instances, the fires started inside a single flat but the flames were unable to spread further as all of the walls and ceiling surfaces of the landings, stairwell, corridor and lobby areas had been painted with Crown Trade Timonox coatings. The work was carried out by Wates Living Space as part of Northwards Housing’s Decent Homes planned maintenance programme.

The fires caused extensive damage to both flats, but the Crown Trade Timonox painted areas showed little sign of damage after successfully limiting the spread of flame.

Abid Hanif, project surveyor at Northwards Housing, confirmed: “Crown Trade recommended Timonox flame retardant paints to bring the block into line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The Timonox system provided the Class 0 fire rating required for the high use areas, and following the fires, it has proven its effectiveness”.

“The system protected the communal areas and even prevented damage to timber and chip board, which we would have expected to be destroyed by fires of such ferocity. From seeing the effectiveness of Timonox in these fires, we will be advising colleagues about the system when reviewing the cyclical maintenance of communal areas in properties across North Manchester.”

Crown Trade Timonox systems were tailored to the particular needs of the tower and were chosen to deliver the highest Class 0 rating to wall and ceiling areas and also provide anti-graffiti protection for the walls. Class 0 (as defined in Section B2 of Approved Document B of the UK Building Regulations) is generally specified for high-risk locations such as circulation areas and escape routes.