Council Faces Questions After Fatal White City Fire
Borough-owned former community centre had fallen into disuse
The blaze destroyed the building's roof. Picture: Facebook
June 27, 2026
Serious questions are being asked of Hammersmith and Fulham Council after a fire at a “neglected” White City building owned by the local authority killed three men.
The disused former Over 50s Centre on the West London estate set alight on the evening of June 20, with about 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines deployed. Two men died at the scene while another passed away after being taken to hospital. An investigation is ongoing by the Met Police.
Residents and friends of those who died are however asking why the building, which is in the heart of the estate right by a school, had not been brought back into use and maintained by the local authority.
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said they extended their “deepest condolences” to the families, friends and loved ones of the three people who died. They added they are supporting the Met Police and London Fire Brigade with the ongoing investigation.
The former Over 50s Centre, a single-storey building next to the White City Community Centre, has something of a storied history. Built in the 1980s, it was run first by the council and later by the White City Residents’ Association (WCRA).
Around a decade ago it was shut by Hammersmith and Fulham following which it was occupied by homeless people. An arrangement was later made for it to be managed under a guardianship, which ran until the end of 2024.
After the guardians vacated the premises the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands homeless individuals once again moved in. The LDRS has been told the men who died had been squatting in the property and that their presence was known by the local authority. A council housing office is based next door.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money so the body of one of the men can be flown back to his family, who are based abroad, and to help pay for his funeral. While he has been named locally, the Met Police is yet to release any names because they have struggled to make direct contact with their next of kin. The LDRS has chosen not to name him for this reason.
While the cause of the fire has not been confirmed it is being speculated that lithium batteries, which were present, may have contributed to the incident. Police officers are following this as a line of enquiry.
At a WCRA meeting this week two friends of those who died said the council was aware of their presence in the building and urged the local authority to provide more support for those affected.
Residents have also queried the council’s management of the premises and its response to the tragedy. Several members of the community have said they were upset by a notification sent by the council, in which it wrote “no residents of the White City Estate were hurt in the fire”.
Locals have said that not only does this show a lack of compassion for those who died, who they say were living on the estate, but it also does not account for those who witnessed and were affected by the incident.
These included teenagers attending their prom at St John XXIII Catholic Primary School, which is just metres from the premises.
Harry Audley, a long-time resident of the estate and former Chair of the WCRA, said he was “deeply moved” by the way the community came together following the tragedy.
“Residents have rallied around the survivors and friends of those who died, agreeing to help to raise funds to repatriate the deceased to their families and providing practical and emotional support at an incredibly difficult time,” he told the LDRS.
Mr Audley said many people were disappointed with the council’s response, which he claimed attempted to distance the local authority from the building’s occupants.
He said: “As a former Chair of the White City Residents’ Association and a board member of White City Enterprise, I know how much effort local people invested over many years trying first to keep the Over 50s Centre open and then to bring it back into community use after it was closed.
The building is next to a Council Housing Office
“Residents repeatedly proposed ways to restore the building and community organisations offered to help secure funding and manage it for public benefit. Those efforts were never taken forward.
“It is therefore incredibly sad that three people had to lose their lives before the council committed, at this week’s meeting, to restore and reopen the building.
“While that commitment is welcome, many residents will ask why it took such a devastating tragedy to secure meaningful action from LBHF on a building that the community had been trying to bring back into full use for more than a decade.
“The priority now must be a thorough and transparent investigation, honest answers about the decisions that led to the building being removed from community use, and more than just ‘lessons will be learned’ from LBHF Council.”
In a statement the WCRA said the meeting was “a chance to come together and reflect on the tragic loss of three members of our community, to recognise the harm done to those who witnessed it, including many children, to extend support to the friends of those who were lost and to thank the fire brigade, police and White City groups and residents for their immediate and ongoing response”.
The statement continued: “The community meeting also brought to the fore fundamental questions of responsibility, mismanagement, accountability and culpability: what should the council have done to prevent this tragedy in their own building; how can the council possibly claim it did not know the building was occupied; why has the council neglected this and other buildings and spaces in White City; has the plan for White City Central driven this neglect?”
The Met Police is working with international partners to identify and notify all next of kin, a spokesperson said.
They added: “Enquiries are in the early stages, and an investigation to determine the cause of the fire is ongoing. A scene remains in place.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter