10 questions that need answers after Grenfell Tower fire tragedy which left at least 12 dead
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Serious questions need to be answered in the wake of the Grenfell Tower block fire which has left at least 12 dead.
The blaze started just before 1am on Wednesday in a flat in one of the lower levels, somewhere between the 2nd and fourth floors.
But in less than an hour, it had engulfed the entire 24-storey building in west London.
A major investigation is being launched by the fire service, Metropolitan Police and the Health and Safety Executive.
This disaster could well prove to be the deadliest fire since the Bradford City stadium blaze of 1985.
(Photo: PA)
(Photo: AFP)
Already, a number of serious concerns have been raised and many are demanding a public inquiry.
Those who lost loved ones or their homes deserve answers.
Here are 10 questions that could be asked first:
1. Why was there no central fire alarm system? Or if there was, why didn’t it work?
In account after account, residents said they were not alerted by a fire alarm.
Some told of being woken up by a neighbour banging on the door, others of getting a phone call from a worried relative who saw what was happening on the news.
A central fire alarm could have sounded a warning for to all residents as soon as the blaze was detected.
2. Was it right to advise residents to 'stay put'?
Residents at Grenfell say fire safety signs had recently been installed which advised them to 'stay put' if a blaze occurred anywhere other than in their own flat.
Many were told the same thing by fire operators when they dialled 999 to report the fire on Wednesday.
That's because experts usually expect fires in a tower block to be contained where they originate.
But clearly in this case, the fire was able to spread, and quickly.
General secretary of the Fire Brigade Union Matt Wrack said an investigation must now understand why that happened.
Mr Wrack told BBC Newsnight: "The logic of construction of tower blocks is to compartmentalise the fire, so a fire should be restricted to the flat or floor of origin.
"If during the course of renovations - I’m not saying this has happened because we don’t know - if during the course of renovations fire resistant walls, doors, ceilings have been compromised, then clearly the whole basis on which that advice has been based falls apart.
"This should not be happening, that’s the horrible aspect of this incident."
3. Why did the fire spread beyond the flat where it originated?
The exact cause and location of the fire has yet to be revealed.
One much-repeated claim is that it started in a resident's kitchen when a fridge 'exploded'.
And it certainly began on one of the lowest floors, some say the second, others the fourth.
The first call to the fire bridge was at 12.54am and witnesses say the entire building appeared to be consumed in fire within 30 minutes.
(Photo: REUTERS)
The ambulance service was first called at 1.29am.
The 'stay put' rule is based on expectations that flat fires in tower blocks will be contained for at least 60 minutes.
Eyewitnesses say it was clear that the fire spread through the exterior of the building rather than from the inside - video footage appears to confirm those accounts.
And many residents were clear on why that happened.
Exterior cladding which was installed as part of a £10million refurbishment completed in 2016 went up "like a matchstick".
Some pointed to bits of molten plastic which fell onto the surrounding streets.
Conservative MP Mike Penning, a former firefighter, told BBC News that "the cladding was clearly spreading the fire... We need to find out what went on.”
4. Is exterior cladding safe for tower blocks?
The cladding was reportedly installed at Grenfell to improve the appearance of a dilapidated tower block constructed in 1974.
But exterior cladding can be highly combustible and has been linked to a number of fires in high-rise buildings.
During the 1990s, at least 30 fires were linked to cladding panels, mostly those on the exterior of buildings.
In 1999, a man died after a fire started on the fifth floor of Garnock Court, a 14-storey block of flats in Ayrshire, Scotland.
(Photo: REUTERS)
Witnesses said it spread to the top of the building within 12 minutes due to the cladding.
There have been a number of other high-profile fires linked to cladding in the Middle East and China.
Under current building regulations, exterior walls must be fire resistant.
But this doesn't apply to exterior cladding.
Some experts have called this a 'gaping hole' in fire safety laws.
5. Why was there only one fire escape route?
(Photo: REUTERS)
Residents had complained that there was only one route out of the building in the event of a fire - a narrow stairwell with no natural light.
By the time many realised they needed to escape, it had become filled with thick, black smoke.
This may tragically have caused many of the deaths.
6. Why was there no sprinkler system?
There was no sprinkler system in the Grenfell building - another complaint raised by residents.
Sprinklers turn on automatically and can reduce, or even extinguish, fires in high-rise buildings before the fire brigade arrives.
Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick - chairman of the all-party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group - said the Government has resisted calls to install sprinkler systems in high-rise blocks in the wake of the Lakanal House tragedy.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who was a firefighter for 20 years, told LBC: "We've been pressing for fire sprinkler systems in buildings where we think it's appropriate - certainly over a height level and in places where there is vulnerability, care homes and in schools - and Government has been resisting that for some time."
(Photo: EPA)
7. Was there any debris blocking stairwells?
In one of its many complaints, the Grenfell Action Group had also highlighted rubbish being left blocking fire exits during the renovation in 2016.
8. Were fire exits blocked by poor parking?
It has also been claimed that a lack of parking enforcement surrounding the Grenfell Tower block had resulted in fire exits being blocked by cars on occasion.
There was also concern about whether this would affect access for emergency services.
9. Were residents concerns about fire safety taken seriously?
Residents had been raising fears about fire safety at Grenfell for at least four years.
As mentioned, Grenfell Action Group (GAG) had posted numerous times on their blog highlighting concerns.
Reacting to the blaze, GAG added: "Regular readers of this blog will know that we have posted numerous warnings in recent years about the very poor fire safety standards at Grenfell Tower and elsewhere in RBKC [the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea].
"ALL OUR WARNINGS FELL ON DEAF EARS and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time."
10. Why wasn't government report on fire safety in tower blocks published?
In March this year, experts warned tower blocks were at risk because the government was delaying a review of building regulations.
(Photo: PA)
It followed failings highlighted when six people were killed at Lakanal House in south London in 2009.
They included a lack of risk assessment and panels on the outside walls not providing fire resistance.
Gavin Barwell, who was housing minister until losing his seat in last week’s election, promised to review part B of the Building Regulations 2010, which relate to fire safety, but the review never materialised.
'No expectation this would happen'
The Grenfell tower block is owned by Kensington and Chelsea council but is managed by an independent company.
The Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) was paid around £11million last year to manage thousands of homes across the borough.
(Photo: Get West London)
Robert Black, chief executive, appeared on TV on Wednesday and said he had been at the scene since 3.30am.
He told ITV News London there had been "no expectation this would happen".
Asked whether he regretted that the block had not been fitted with sprinklers, he replied: "This isn't a new build, it's a refurbishment.
"I cannot comment on what these issues are at the moment because I am trying to work out the things on the ground.
"As a tenant management organisation we do listen to people and we have listened to people and that's what we're doing.
"Now you can rightly understand that at the moment I cannot make any comment about all the accusations that are going about because I've got an ongoing police and fire brigade investigation."
He added: "We will take part in a full investigation to find out and we'll address through that investigation all the issues that have been raised."