Category Archives: Grenfell Tower inquiry

Grenfell inquiry finds fire brigade ‘gravely’ ill-prepared for blaze

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Long-awaited report into tragedy that killed 72 people says shortcomings cost lives

The London fire brigade’s readiness for the Grenfell Tower fire was “gravely inadequate” and fewer people would have died if it had been better prepared, a long-awaited public inquiry report into the disaster that killed 72 people has concluded.

The report into the biggest single loss of life in London since the second world war also ruled that the building had been refurbished in breach of safety regulations and that contrary to the evidence so far of the cladding panel manufacturer, Arconic, “the principal reason why the flames spread so rapidly up the building” was its aluminium composite panels and the “melting and dripping of burning polyethylene”.

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Firefighters braced for criticism in Grenfell inquiry report

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Much anticipated account of fire teams’ actions due in parliament on Wednesday

Firefighters are bracing for strong criticism of their response to the Grenfell Tower fire this week when the public inquiry into the disaster finally publishes its account of the 14 June 2017 blaze which claimed 72 lives.

Firefighters of different ranks who attended the incident have been warned they are facing criticism with the commissioner of the London Fire Brigade (LFB), Dany Cotton, expected to be among a handful of senior officers singled out in the 1,000-page report due to be laid before parliament on Wednesday.

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The story of Grenfell United – podcast

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Natasha Elcock and Ed Daffarn escaped from Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017. Karim Mussilhy’s uncle died in the fire. Together with other survivors and bereaved people, they formed Grenfell United. They talk about their work over the past two years, while the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, Rob Booth, discusses government inaction

In the early hours of 14 June 2017, a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, west London. It killed 72 people, including 18 children. In the chaos that followed, survivors and the bereaved felt abandoned by local authorities and the government, and began to organise into a community group, which became known as Grenfell United.

Today, on the second anniversary of the fire, Natasha Elcock, Ed Daffarn and Karim Mussilhy discuss the work the group has been doing and their attempts to tackle what they see as one of the most devastating aspects of the fire: government inaction. The Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, Rob Booth, has been covering the story of Grenfell since the blaze. He talks to Anushka Asthana about why more progress has not been made.

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Grenfell survivors’ anger as police say no charges until 2021

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‘Extremely frustrating and disheartening’: investigation held up by public inquiry

Survivors and the bereaved from the Grenfell Tower fire have expressed their “extreme frustration” at the pace of justice after Scotland Yard admitted no charges were likely for at least two years.

Detectives investigating the possibility of manslaughter and corporate manslaughter offences said their investigation must take into account the public inquiry into the disaster, the second phase of which will not start until the end of this year. Inquiry lawyers have been swamped with 476,000 separate documents.

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