More than 900 London buildings need inspection due to fire safety defects The scale of London’s building safety crisis has once again been laid bare. More than 900 buildings currently require a waking watch due to fire safety defects such as flammable cladding. Waking watches involve 24-hour patrols of buildings that are known to contain fire safety defects so that residents can be warned and evacuated in the event of a fire. They were introduced in the aftermath of the Grenfell Fire tragedy in 2017 that claimed 72 lives. London Fire Brigade Commissioner Andy Roe revealed to members of the London Assembly on Monday that 901 buildings in the capital are currently on a waking watch but that the number “continues to grow”.