A secret fire brigade report has revealed the smoke alarm in the flat where the Madingley tower block blaze began did not work.

The fire started when schizophrenic Kristie Byrne set fire to a dictionary on the balcony of her 12th-storey flat.

Firefighters, who led 80 residents to safety and took four hours to bring the inferno under control, did not find out why the alarm did not activate.

Kingston Council is responsible for smoke alarms in the tower block, which are connected to the mains.

It said Byrne’s alarm was working when checked five months before the July 12, 2010, inferno.

However, Madingley resident Nichola Wicks said she could only remember one check in her seventh-floor flat, and called for more efforts to ensure alarms worked.

She said: “I feel safe, but it is always at the back of your mind.

“It is a constant worry, but I guess you just put it to the back of your mind or you would go insane.”

Councillor Frances Moseley, executive member for housing, said she would raise the issue with council officers.

A council spokesman said: “The flat was fitted with a hard-wired smoke alarm, which is subject to annual testing and was in working order when it was tested five months earlier.

“Since the fire, the council has ensured there are adequate smoke detectors in the refurbished flats and extensive improvement works have been done to improve fire safety in Madingley and the other three high rise blocks on the estate.”

The Surrey Comet obtained the report using the Freedom of Information Act after a 14-month battle with the London Fire Brigade.

Other documents recommended firefighters found water sources in future incidents and the service consider adding a “dividing breech” to equipment to allow two hoses to run from one hydrant.

One report also praised the use of external (aerial ladder platform) jets on sprays to present a positive image to the media.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said the report was a learning exercise and nothing went wrong on the day.