The deaths of 72 people in a fire in a London residential tower in 2017 were “all preventable”, according to the final report of an investigation. But consequences are slow to materialize.
London – As if wrapped in a shroud, the Grenfell Tower in west London, covered in scaffolding and hidden behind a white tarpaulin, towers into the sky. In the former residential tower in the North Kensington district, 72 people died in a devastating fire in the early hours of June 14, 2017.
More than seven years after the fire, an investigation report has given authorities and companies a damning report.
“The simple truth is that the deaths were all preventable,” said the chairman of the inquiry, Martin Moore-Bick. The disaster was “the result of decades of failure” by central government and other responsible bodies regarding the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise buildings. The cause was primarily incompetence, but in some cases also greed.
Seemingly endless chain of misconduct and failure
The fire that broke out on the 4th floor spread extremely quickly across the facade of the 24-story social housing building. The facade cladding in particular played a fatal role, as the investigation that has been ongoing for years has shown.
The facade had only been insulated and clad shortly before the accident in order to make the residential tower, which was completed in 1974, more attractive and more energy efficient. However, the facade parts made of aluminum with a plastic core were completely unsuitable and acted as an accelerant.
The fact that they were installed anyway was due to an almost endless chain of misconduct and failures by authorities and companies, as the current report shows. Fire safety regulations were interpreted laxly, test results were manipulated or misrepresented, and warnings were ignored.
Some could only say goodbye by cell phone
So the disaster took its course unhindered on June 14, 2017. A defective refrigerator on the 4th floor caused a fire that soon spread to the facade.
Less than half an hour after the first emergency call, the flames had already reached the top floors of the high-rise. Burning plastic dripping down from the facade spread the fire throughout the entire building.
The fire brigade was also blamed for serious errors. They advised people to stay in the burning building and wait for help for far too long. It quickly became clear that the flames would quickly engulf the entire high-rise. For many, their apartments became death traps. Some were only able to say goodbye to their loved ones by cell phone.
Grief is a mixture of anger and frustration
The area around the burnt-out tower is now cordoned off with a wooden fence. There are countless messages, pictures and souvenirs attached to it in various languages. English, Arabic, Spanish, Amharic – the Grenfell Tower was a home for people from all over the world.
The grief of the survivors and their families is mixed with anger and frustration. “People who made decisions that put profit above people’s safety must be put behind bars,” Sandra Ruiz, whose 12-year-old niece died in the fire, told the Guardian newspaper.
But the years-long investigation has not resulted in any criminal consequences. It is now up to the investigating authorities to bring charges against those responsible, said a representa
tive of survivors and relatives. It is uncertain whether and when this will happen. A police spokesman announced that the report is now being examined, but that this could take up to 18 months.
Residents disregarded because of origin and status
Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his shock in a statement in Parliament following the publication of the report. “I would like to start with an apology on behalf of the British state to each and every one of you and all the families of those affected by this tragedy: it should never have happened,” said the Labour politician. There must be full accountability and Grenfell must serve as a touchstone for future building safety.
Britain must also ask itself what kind of country it wants to be, the Prime Minister continued. The residents of Grenfell Tower – a social housing project in one of the richest parts of the country – have repeatedly had their concerns ignored because of their social status and origins. “Incredibly, this continued even after the disaster,” said Starmer. dpa
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