CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s chief building official says panels used on a city-owned NFL stadium are “similar if not identical” to those used at a London apartment tower that burned.
However, Thomas Vanover also says he’s confident the Cleveland Browns’ stadium is safe.
“There is zero risk to the fans and I can say that with confidence,” he said.
A spokesman for Cleveland’s mayor initially said questions about the stadium would have to wait until after the investigation into the London fire, which killed at least 80 people. But Vanover held a news conference Thursday after The Associated Press reported on concerns about several U.S. buildings, including the stadium.
Vanover says the panels were installed on the stadium in a different way than in London’s Grenfell Tower, and that the venue’s overall cladding system was different.
“You cannot build to code in the United States and have the systematic failure that the [London] fire had,” Vanover said.
The panels in London were backed with synthetic material that helped to insulate the building, according to a report on Cleveland.com. At the stadium, the panels are mounted on non-combustible concrete as a trim covering the structure.
Arconic Inc. quit making the panels available for high-rise buildings after the fire.