Yesterday a fire ripped through the six-storey Samuel Garside House in Barking, leaving 20 apartments destroyed and a further 10 damaged. Two people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene but there were no major injuries.

In an email to one of the block’s residents in July 2017, seen by Inside Housing, the building manager confirmed that the cladding used on the block was ThermoWood with a “D – s2, d0 fire resistance rating”.

ThermoWood, according to a brochure by its manufacturer, is wood that has been heated to make it “more stable”.

The brochure says that its reaction to fire is rated as Class D.

Government guidance requires Class B for the external surfaces of walls on buildings above 18m and limited combustibility, or A2, for insulation. Class D is more combustible than both of these.

The height of Samuel Garside has not been officially confirmed The Barking and Dagenham Post reported the building was 13.75m - meaning there would be no limit on combustibility.

Balconies are also often considered to sit outside these regulations which apply to insulation and the surfaces of walls.