Fire Damage Restoration
Related SafeGroup Service:
Fire Damage Restoration
Project Overview
Sector – Commercial & Media
Service – Fire Damage Cleaning, Decontamination, and Restoration
Incident – Major plant room fire resulting in significant smoke and airborne contamination
Location – Kensington
Objective – To decontaminate and restore 10,000 sqm of high-profile media office space within a compressed timeframe following a major fire incident
The Challenge: Smoke and Airborne Contamination in a High-Profile Media Hub
A significant fire broke out in the rooftop plant room at Kensington Roof Top Gardens during the early hours of 26th January. The incident required a major emergency response, with 12 fire engines and 80 firefighters attending the site to battle the blaze for approximately three hours before it was successfully extinguished.
For decades, Kensington Roof Gardens in Derry Street was the iconic “place to be seen” in London, famed for hosting royalty and global celebrities. As a Grade II-listed former nightclub, the building carries immense architectural and cultural significance.
The fire resulted in significant smoke and airborne contamination migrating throughout the structure, impacting multiple floors that house high-profile national media offices. The primary challenge was to restore these sensitive commercial environments, totalling 10,000 square metres, to a safe, clinical condition immediately to support the vital business continuity requirements of these national media organisations.
Our Response: Rapid Assessment & Intensive 24-Hour Mobilisation
Once the building was declared safe and access granted the following day, SafeGroup attended site immediately to carry out a comprehensive post-fire assessment.
Our initial response included:
- Detailed site survey and damage assessment
- Air quality monitoring
- Particle sampling to identify residual smoke and combustion contaminants
- Evaluation of contamination spread across affected floors
Following this assessment, SafeGroup was formally appointed within 24 hours to undertake a large-scale, intensive fire damage cleaning and restoration programme.
Scope of Works
SafeGroup was appointed to clean and restore the 3rd and 4th floors, both heavily affected by smoke and airborne contamination.
The scope included:
- Removal of fire-related contamination from all areas
- Intensive decontamination, sanitisation, and specialist cleaning
- Over 300 person hours of specialist labour delivered in a compressed timeframe
Key areas and assets treated:
- Two floors totalling approximately 10,000 sqm (5,000 sqm per floor)
- Over 1,100 desks and chairs
- Approximately 9,000 sqm of carpet
- Office areas, circulation spaces, and lobbies
- All hard surfaces, fixtures, and fittings
All works were undertaken using industry-approved methodologies to safely remove smoke residues and airborne contaminants, ensuring the environment was suitable for reoccupation.
The Outcome: Restoring Operational Continuity for National Media
SafeGroup successfully delivered a full fire damage cleaning and restoration programme, removing contamination across all affected areas and enabling the client to progress towards safe reoccupation.
The project demonstrated SafeGroup’s ability to:
- Respond rapidly following major fire incidents
- Deliver large-scale, time-critical restoration works
- Operate within high-profile, sensitive commercial environments
- Support business continuity for national media organisations
We await further instruction in due course in relation to the roof top, source of the fire and instruction to remediate.
Kensington Roof Top Gardens – Media Offices
“Safe Group are a trusted supply chain partner to our business, supporting specialist and emergency cleaning services across our portfolio. Safe Group provide rapid effective solutions. Evidencing commitment, expertise, and flexibility, with attention to detail, they have been instrumental in delivering a successful outcome for us and that of our clients. ”
“I've worked with SafeGroup for a number of years now, for a variety of services from flood responses, sewage spills, commercial or high-level cleans, and upholstery cleaning. I've always found their service excellent, always providing a swift response when we need them, and a great quality of work too. ”
“SafeGroup delivers specialist and reactive cleaning services across the M&S estate, covering both food and department stores. We rely on their service nationally across a combined 1000+ store list. SafeGroup offers a genuine partnership approach, through bespoke management systems and dedicated personnel. It is constantly seeking to improve and overdeliver. From floor and carpet cleaning to emergency flood or sewage response cleans, SafeGroup delivers an end-to-end service that ensures we are operational and compliant. Its quality of work is backed up by its communication and reporting. This is testament to our successful and continually growing partnership.”
“We have been working in partnership with Safegroup for approximately 3 years now. We have developed the account over the past few years and have found Safegroup very easy to deal with. They have supported us on numerous disasters and always delivered works to a high standard. Communication has always been great throughout. It’s piece of mind knowing we have their support whenever required.”
