Clare Dupree died of smoke inhalation following a fire started with a vape in her cell at HMP Eastwood Park in December 2022, according to multiple reports. Cell 59 did not have automatic in-cell fire detection (AFD), and more than three years after the tragedy, automatic detectors have still not been installed in her cell. According to The Independent - UK News, Clare Dupree described being on fire and calling for help.
HMP Eastwood Park is one of more than 40 prisons in Britain without AFD in all cells. The Ministry of Justice has admitted that 21,067 prison places are missing automatic fire detection. This widespread lack of fire detection leaves tens of thousands of prisoners at risk.
I'm on fire, help
Ministers had promised to make all cells fire-safe by 2027 or take them out of use. However, Labour has reneged on that pledge, blaming the overcrowding crisis. No new date has been set for the prison service to bring all cells up to legal standards.
Cell fires have soared by 124% over the last five years. In the year ending March 2025, there were an average of eight cell fires each day in prisons in England and Wales. Most cell fires are caused by vapes.
How can the Ministry of Justice possibly justify sitting on such blatant, life-threatening failings? After Grenfell, we should need no reminder of what happens when fire safety is treated as optional. Those at risk – from prisoners to the officers and staff who keep our prisons running – deserve answers, not more broken promises.
At least ten other prisoners have died in cell fires since the government first accepted that upgrades were needed almost 20 years ago, according to the Howard League for Penal Reform. The Howard League has threatened legal action over the failures. According to The Independent - UK News, Gemma Abbott, legal chair of the Howard League, described the government's U-turn as a disgrace and questioned how many more lives must be lost. Labour MP Kim Johnson called the U-turn outrageous and warned of consequences like the Grenfell tower disaster, according to The Independent - UK News.
How many more people have to lose their lives for the government to take this seriously? Today, tens of thousands of people are forced to live in prisons that are not safe. The government U-turn on a deadline to fix this is a disgrace. If you are going to keep people in custody, it's imperative both legally and morally to keep them safe.