It should have been a wake-up call. Canterbury’s biggest residential fire since the Blitz saw numerous homes obliterated at terrifying speed.

Six months on from the devastating Tannery fire, one might expect lessons to have been learned.

Astonishingly, without any official reports into the blaze, it looks like business as usual for the developers.

The huge scar in the Tannery development remains a graphic reminder of the devastating fire which destroyed 15 homes.

A further 29 were badly damaged in the fierce blaze, which ripped through the modern timber-framed properties so quickly that even experienced firefighters were taken aback.

In the aftermath, many said that if it had happened at 2am instead of 2pm, emergency services could have been pulling dead bodies out of the buildings.

The Kentish Gazette can today reveal that no specific investigations, reports or recommendations have been produced by the authorities in the wake of the inferno.

We asked both Kent Fire and Rescue Service and the city council – which is responsible for building control – what was being done to stop this happening again.

Freedom of Information requests by this newspaper asked both for any information they had produced or held on the fire – especially investigations or recommendations. But both replied that there were none.

KFRS said its only investigation was into the cause which could not be conclusively established because of the scale of the damage – although it had early been suggested it could have started in a boiler cupboard.

It said it was “not its remit” to produce any follow-up reports or recommendations, despite concerns of firefighters at the scene who were shocked at the speed the flames spread.

The city council replied that its only responsibility was to inspect the building during construction to ensure the methods and materials complied with the regulations, which it says they did.

Its only other involvement was to work with agencies to provide emergency shelter and support for those made homeless by the fire.

The response was branded “alarming” by city councillor Michael Dixey, a structural surveyor, who is concerned about the fire safety of high rise timber framed buildings.

He said: “It sounds like civil service buck-passing to me. This fire spread with frightening speed and it just seems crazy when lives are at risk.”

One of those left homeless by the fire was mum-of-four Colette Scott who says she would consider returning – if she had assurances it was safe.

Colette, 35, is now living with her family in Chartham but like other tenants who lost their homes in the blaze, is expected to be given the opportunity of returning to the rebuilt development.

She said: “After the fire, I was so upset I couldn’t face returning because I was worried by how quickly it had spread. I think if it had been at night people would have died.

“But I am keeping my options open now because we did like living in the centre of Canterbury and it was convenient for the kids’ schools.

“Obviously, I would want to feel reassured it was safe and couldn’t happen again because there were better fire safety measures in the new build.

“Perhaps there should be fire exits at the back because many flats only had narrow stairway down and out.”

Nicola Armanio lives opposite the fire site and helped organise donations of clothing and equipment for those neighbours who had lost their possessions.

Many of the families had children at St Peter’s Methodist School where space was set aside for the donations.

She said: “Given how serious the fire was, I would have thought there would have been a full investigation in the circumstances and a report. That just seems common sense to me.

“But from my own experience I know these homes have not been very well built.

“I had my ceiling come down and all sorts of other problems and know others have too.

“It will be very interesting to see if the new ones are built the same way, which won’t give tenants much confidence.”

Town and Country Housing Association, which owns the homes, has previously said the flats will be rebuilt to the same specification. Work is expected to start in April.

It said the original company, Bellway Homes, had not been invited to tender but a new developer would be appointed shortly.

Spokesman Rachel Branson said: "Our insurers are still in the process of conducting the investigation, however given the size and the severity of the incident they are unable to release any information until it is complete."

A spokesman for Bellway said its insurance company was also still investigating the fire and damage.

But leading experts in construction and fire safety are warning that despite not being required by law, the omission of sprinklers would be a serious failing.

'A proper investigation would avoid unnecessary gossip and speculation'

Reporter Alex Claridge lives in the Tannery complex and is among those calling for answers.

He said: "It will come as an unwelcome surprise to residents of the Tannery that there will be no investigation into last summer’s destructive fire.

I am one of them. My third-floor flat directly overlooks the Creine Mill North building and I was among those who watched some smoke billowing from a window transform into an inferno within a few minutes.

Tannery residents and firefighters alike were astonished at the speed with which it took hold.

In its aftermath, the one thing we are perhaps owed is some answers. After all, if it happened in one Tannery building it could happen in others.

The weeks after the blaze saw a number of theories surface: it was a faulty boiler, it was highly flammable insulation, it was the timber frame structure, it was cheapness and corner-cutting by the builder.

A proper investigation – and we’re not talking a formal inquiry with witnesses called – by buildings and fire experts would achieve a number of things almost immediately.

It would provide much-needed answers for those who lost their homes and their possessions that terrible July 4 afternoon.

It would avoid unnecessary gossip and speculation, which always fill the vacuum when there is the absence of a proper explanation.

And, most importantly of all, it would help expand understanding of what happened so that such events can be averted in the future."