Fire-hit flat family still in temporary home

A family who lost everything in a fire accelerated by flammable cladding and strong winds remains in temporary accommodation.

Nabeel Ahmad, his pregnant wife and their children were among hundreds of residents evacuated from Mosaic Apartments in Slough's High Street on 22 August 2024.

When the fire broke out the family was already in temporary accommodation, then had to move to a second home in Langley and are now in a third temporary home in Slough awaiting a permanent residence.

Slough Borough Council was contacted to comment.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said earlier this week the fire was caused by a light on a balcony.

"We left everything and we were told you won't be able to go [back] for safety reasons. The next day, when I saw the flat, it was totally burned out," Mr Ahmad said.

"My job is at risk. I have got a [temporary] home but I'm not sure how long we will stay here. I was told that… we would get a decision within 56 days.

"It has been more than one year [waiting for permanent accommodation].

"We already lost everything. We couldn't find one single thing. I had to buy everything. My family, my children got stressed as well."

The security officer remains on sick leave from work at Heathrow Airport and is unsure when he will return because of anxiety triggered by the fire.

His children do not want to use lifts following the accident and his wife has since had the couple's fourth child.

A spokesperson for Wallace Estate, the building's freeholder, said it had worked to remove cladding on the seven-storey building "as soon as possible".

It has been fully removed and scaffolding used to take it down will be taken down next month.

A government spokesperson previously told the BBC the pace of replacing cladding across the country had been "far too slow for far too long" and that it was "taking decisive action to make homes safe".

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