REVEALED: 10,000 buildings are labelled fire traps in secret firefighter hit list of highly flammable cladding amid fears there will be another deadly Grenfell Tower inferno that killed 72 people
- An estimated 10,000 buildings in Australia have dangerous flammable cladding
- Fears of a Grenfell Tower type inferno, which in 2017 killed 72 people in the UK
- Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital had flammable cladding - since removed
An estimated 10,000 buildings in three Australian states have been labelled ' fire traps' by concerned firefighters.
The buildings are believed to contain highly flammable cladding, which was a significant factor in the London Grenfell Tower inferno, which killed 72 people in 2017.
Representatives from Queensland's Fire and Emergency Services, Fire and Rescue NSW and Victoria's Metropolitan Fire Brigade told The Australian they had access to databases showing buildings with the dangerous cladding.
Firefighters in Australia are keen to avoid a potential repeat of the Grenfell Tower tragedy (pictured) in 2017, which claimed 72 lives
Highly flammable cladding in numerous apartment buildings (pictured) was said to have been a significant factor in the London inferno of 2017
QFES has recently established a special 'cladding unit' to identify at-risk properties.
They also conduct regular audits and allocate 'risk levels' to ascertain the required number of firefighters in an emergency.
A state government report from April of 2018 showed up to 12,000 buildings in Queensland may have used highly flammable cladding, with almost 900 buildings marked for a more detailed investigation.
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One of those buildings was Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital, which has since removed the flammable cladding.
Fire and Rescue NSW opted for a similar approach to their Queensland counterparts.
A spokeswoman stated the state fire department had thoroughly assessed more than 2470 buildings in the past 18 months.
Firefighters in Australia have identified up to 10,000 buildings across three eastern states as 'fire traps'
The aftermath of an apartment following the Grenfell Tower Inferno in London back in 2017 (pictured) - firefighters are fearful of a similar disaster in Australia
'Our local fire crews also undertake pre-incident plans, which enable firefighters to gather information about the buildings,' she said.
'This is crucial to operational readiness and means we can be most effective if a fire does occur.'
A Victorian audit found up to 1400 buildings with potentially unsafe cladding.
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