YORK'S MP said it was a "shock" that a new building did not have better fire protection, in the wake of the Fulford Place blaze.

The comments from Hugh Bayley came as residents continued to ask questions about the fire that ripped through more than 50 flats.

They are calling a public meeting to help establish why Escrick House, where the fire at Fulford Place started on Friday:

Had no fire escape stairs other than the main entrance and exit

Was not fitted with a sprinkler system

Had fire alarms that didn't go off and had no wall-mounted emergency alarm buttons

Had fire doors which burned through.

Mr Bayley said: "It comes as a shock to see that a brand new building is not better protected against fire, and like everyone else I await with interest the findings of the fire service's investigations."

Kate McCarthy, 33, had her ground floor flat in Escrick House wrecked by water damage.

She was at home at the time, and said no fire alarms went off in Escrick House.

"The first I knew was I saw fire engines out of the window, the fire alarms didn't go off. I'm disgusted that there are no alarms, it's just so scary that we are going to have to move back in to the building at some point and I'm not convinced it's safe.

"There was no sprinkler system either, and there's only one set of stairs to the flats in and out."

John Fowler, City of York Council's head of building control, said the flats were inspected when they were being built and found to comply with building regulations.

A spokeswoman for Taylor Woodrow, which built the flats in 2003, said: "Until they know the reason and cause of the fire, and that investigation is completed, we are not going to comment on the structure of the building."

Updated: 10:27 Wednesday, May 18, 2005