London high-rises evacuated as fire precaution

Hannah McKay | Reuters

Tower blocks on the Chalcots estate are seen in Camden after the local council announced they would be removing alumium cladding in light of the fire at the Grenfell Tower, in London, Britain, June 22, 2017.

The London borough of Camden says it has begun evacuating 800 households in tower blocks after fire authorities said they could not guarantee the safety of residents following a devastating fire in a high-rise in a nearby area.

Camden council leader Georgia Gould told Sky News Friday that a rest center has been set up and that hotels were being found for residents.

She says the move came after firefighters said they “could not guarantee our residents safety.”

Camden is one of the councils in England which has learned that combustible cladding has been placed on buildings during renovation projects, though they also had fire-resistant cladding.