Updated June 25, 2017 11:25:05

Photo: At least 79 people were killed in the blaze at London's Grenfell Tower. (Reuters: Toby Melville)

Thirty-four high-rise apartment blocks have failed fire cladding safety tests carried out in the wake of a deadly inferno at a west London tower, the British Government says.

The Department for Communities said 34 apartment blocks had failed tests in 17 parts of the country, from London in the south-east to Manchester in the north and Plymouth on the south-west coast.

The testing is being done as officials around Britain scramble to assess the safety of apartment buildings following the June 14 inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London, killing an estimated 79 people.

Combustible cladding used to insulate the tower and improve its appearance has been blamed for the rapid spread of the blaze.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who was forced to apologise for the government's initial slow response to the tragedy, said the authorities were now racing to establish what needed to be done.

"In some cases it's possible to take mitigating action," she told Sky news. "In others it's been necessary for people to move out on a temporary basis and that is what happened in Camden last night."

Photo: About 650 households have been evacuated, but some residents are refusing to leave. (AP: PA/Stefan Rousseau)

Overnight on Friday (local time), some 4,000 residents of the Chalcots Estate were evacuated by the Camden Borough Council in London due to fire safety concerns.

Emerging into the streets on a hot night, residents clutched children, pets and small amounts of clothing and food to try to find a bed in a local hotel or with family or friends. Many were directed to inflatable beds laid out on the floor of the local sports hall.

While those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire may have to wait some time before responsibility is taken, authorities can act now to help prevent another disaster, writes Feng Fu.

However, UK media reported dozens of people at the affected Chalcots Estate were refusing to leave their homes.

Carl McDowell, 31, said he took one look at the packed inflatable beds offered at a nearby sports hall being used as a temporary shelter, and went back to his own apartment.

He said officials knocked on residents' doors on Friday night, two hours after he had heard about the evacuation on the news.

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said if residents had not left their homes after being visited again by officials on Saturday, "it will become a matter for the fire service".

Photo: Cladding, pictured on Chalcots Estate, is commonly used for insulation and to improve appearance. (ABC News: James Glenday)

Ms Gould said the council decided to evacuate the buildings on the Chalcots Estate late on Friday after fire inspectors told officials the blocks were unsafe.

"It was farcical communication," Daniel Tackaberry, 21, said outside the sports hall.

"You don't get everyone to leave this quickly."

Inspectors uncovered problems with "gas insulation and door stops", which combined with the presence of flammable cladding meant residents had to leave immediately.

So far, Camden Council has been the only local authority known to have asked residents to leave as a precaution.

The flammable external cladding has been identified as the culprit in the Grenfell disaster, but fire-safety experts have said the blaze was probably due to a string of failures, not just the cladding.

Manslaughter charges being considered over deadly blaze

Police said on Friday they were considering filing manslaughter charges over the Grenfell disaster and they were conducting a wide-ranging investigation that would look at everything that contributed to it.

The Metropolitan Police said the fire started in a fridge but spread rapidly due to external cladding on the building, trapping residents in their beds as they slept.

Police said cladding attached to the 24-storey public housing project during a recent renovation failed safety tests conducted by investigators, and they had seized documents from a number of organisations.

"We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards," Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said.

"We are looking at all health and safety and fire safety offences, and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower."

The Government has ordered an immediate examination of the refrigerator model that started the blaze — the Hotpoint model FF175BP.

Hotpoint said it was working with authorities to examine the appliance, adding "words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy".

The Government has called on all building owners, public and private, to submit samples of cladding material used on their buildings for testing.

Police say 79 people are either dead or missing and presumed dead in the blaze, although authorities have warned the number might change and it could never be known exactly how many people died.

To encourage cooperation, Prime Minister Theresa May said the Government would not penalise any fire survivors who were in the country illegally.

AP

Topics: disasters-and-accidents, fires, united-kingdom

First posted June 24, 2017 23:31:14