Londoners in temporary housing after fire safety evacuations

June 24, 2017 at 3:12 a.m. | Updated June 24, 2017 at 3:15 a.m.

by Associated Press

Camden council representatives talk as they help residents as they are evacuated from the Burnham residential tower block on the Chalcots Estate, in the borough of Camden, north London, Friday, June 23, 2017. A local London council has decided to evacuate some 800 households in apartment buildings it owns because of safety concerns following the devastating fire that killed 79 people in a west London high-rise. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Camden council representatives talk as they help residents as they are evacuated from the Burnham residential tower block on the Chalcots Estate, in the borough of Camden, north London, Friday, June 23, 2017. A local London council has decided to evacuate some 800 households in apartment buildings it owns because of safety concerns following the devastating fire that killed 79 people in a west London high-rise. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

LONDON (AP) - The residents of roughly 800 apartments in London have been evacuated due to fire-safety concerns.

Many are being housed Saturday in temporary shelters. The unusual evacuation follows the fire that claimed at least 79 lives in a London high-rise last week.

That fire was found to have been spread by a type of exterior cladding also found on the buildings that were evacuated.

Camden Council in north London started the evacuation Friday night so urgent safety upgrades could begin.

Officials say they acted because fire officials said they could not guarantee the safety of residents. Similar inspections are ongoing elsewhere in Britain on hundreds of buildings.

Some residents of the Camden buildings expressed frustration with the lack of information about the evacuations

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