Teesside tower block evacuated over fire safety concerns

A tower block has been evacuated after fire safety concerns were uncovered during planned checks.

Residents at Dawson House in Billingham were told to leave their homes as a precaution after Thirteen Group, the building's owners, were told they may not be able to safely extract smoke from the emergency exits.

Those affected have been offered alternative accommodation while work on the issue is carried out in the coming days.

A dedicated helpline has also been set up.

Thirteen’s chief executive Matt Forrest said: “At Thirteen, we take our responsibility to provide safe, high-quality homes for each and every one of our customers extremely seriously.

“Following planned checks, undertaken as we prepare for future investment at Dawson House, we were alerted to the risk that we may not be able to safely extract all of the smoke from the emergency exits from the building, in the event of a fire.

“We will never knowingly allow our customers to live in a property where there is any risk of this kind, however small, and so, we’ve taken the difficult decision to evacuate all of our customers living in Dawson House, as a precaution, while we carry out work, initially over the next few days, to ensure we address the risks that have been identified.

“We’re supporting our customers throughout this time, providing comfortable accommodation, and we’ve set up dedicated support lines, should they need to speak to a member of the team at any time.

“We understand this is disruptive, but it is absolutely necessary, and we are extremely grateful to our customers for their patience during this time.”

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