Residents told their flats are fire death traps

Residents of 174 flats in Dublin are seeking an emergency meeting with the city council after they were told their homes were fire death traps.

Residents in the old Iveagh Trust buildings, between Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral, say they are seeking an explanation as to why promised fire-doors, electrical upgrading and fire-safety training have not been provided. They also say smoke detectors have not been placed correctly.

In 2001 two children died after a fire in a bedroom in their home in the Ross Road section of the flats. Clayton Maher (3) and his sister Chelsea (6) died as a result of smoke inhalation.

There was no smoke detector in the lobby between their and their mother's bedrooms. There was no fire door between the living room - where the fire started - and the bedrooms, or a window big enough to enable the children to escape.

After the tragedy Dublin City Council made six commitments to tenants, including one to do a fire safety audit and carry out any remedial work as soon as possible.

The council also promised to install "as a minimum an additional fire detector/alarm in the bedroom lobby" and to install fire-doors in each apartment.

Residents Carol Keogh and Elsie Kerrfoot insist no fire training was provided and no audit was carried out, "at least none that involved anyone coming into my apartment", said Ms Keogh.

The residents engaged an independent building and fire regulations consultant, Robin Knox, to carry out a fire safety audit. He told them this week their homes were fire death traps. His report says there are major breaches of building regulations.

The flats were refurbished in 1994. The 1991 building regulations call for adequate escape routes from all rooms. The windows in many of the flats do not open properly.

The Knox report says seven fire safety regulations are not adhered to. It says guidelines on the placing of fire/smoke detectors are not complied with, and doors in the flats do not comply with the 1991 regulations.

A council spokesman said smoke alarms had been professionally fitted, and doors within the flats did comply with fire safety regulations.

He said a safety audit in 2002 passed the flats as safe. Another audit was under way, he said, and would be published within four weeks.