The fire was deliberately started when rubbish was set alight outside the 11-story Knowsley Heights tower block in Huyton, Merseyside.

[2] The flames began at the bottom of the building, and spread through a 90 mm (3.5 inches) gap between the wall and the newly installed rainscreen cladding.

[4] The Building Research Establishment (BRE) determined that the cladding around Knowsley Heights was a low risk of combustibility.

[4] The cladding used in Knowsley Heights was declared legal.

[7] The incident was mentioned by BRE for subsequent changes in building regulations.