Tower block in Bristol evacuated after structural fault discovered

Residents of a tower block, housing approximately 400 residents, have been evacuated following the identification of “significant structural defects.”

Bristol City Council declared a major incident, citing building surveys that revealed Barton House could pose a safety risk in the event of a fire or explosion.

The affected residents were advised to gather essential belongings for a short-term stay, either with friends and family or at designated rest centres, as the council took immediate measures to address the potential hazards.

The council reported conducting thorough building surveys on a Redfield tower block, the oldest in its estate, dating back to 1958.

This evaluation was part of the council’s deliberations regarding the long-term future of the structure.

Additional surveys are scheduled, but in the interim, the authority is actively notifying residents to evacuate through a door-to-door approach.

By declaring a major incident, the council, having confirmed that the problem is unrelated to RAAC concrete, can solicit assistance from external organisations.

The Avon Fire and Rescue Service has been in communication with the council since surveying the tower block.

Kye Dudd, the lead for Bristol City Council’s housing services, said: “The issue is with the concrete sections and how they’re tied to the walls, so actually if the building was built to design we wouldn’t have this problem.

“The issue is within the construction of the building and the job that was done at the time. We had five fires in high-rise blocks last year so in terms of the level of risk, that is unacceptable. We just can’t take that risk. I had a briefing on Monday where the report from the structural engineer was presented to me and it looked really bad. I said we needed to prepare for a potential emergency evacuation but we also had to seek further advice from the fire brigade.

“The following day we had another meeting with all the extra information and we had some prep in terms of where we would potentially move people.

“We had to take the decision with the information we had in front of us, as the safety with residents is paramount and we can’t take the risk on that.”