Seven years after more than 70 people in the Grenfell Tower fire, families are hoping to get the answers they were looking for when a final report is released about the incident.
Families of the victims have been relentlessly campaigning for the release of a “landmark report” that will prompt a meaningful change in building construction and regulation.
The report is the culmination of more than 300 public hearings, 1,600 witness statements, and the disclosure of 320,000 documents that formed the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
The Grenfell Memorial Wall in west London
Lucy North/PA Wire
When was the Grenfell Tower fire?
The Grenfell Tower, a high-rise social housing block in Kensington, caught fire on June 14, 2017.
It had been built in 1977, but the deadly cladding which caused the fire to spread was added just years earlier between 2012 and 2016.
The 24-storey building consisted of 129 residential flats, and many residents were asleep when the fire broke out early that morning.
How did the Grenfell Tower fire start?
Just before 1am on June 14, 2017, an electrical fault in a resident’s fridge-freezer triggered a small kitchen fire on the fourth floor of the building.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes, but the first responders quickly noticed the fire spreading.
Around 15 minutes after the fire broke out, the flames reached the exterior cladding of the building and began rapidly ascending the block.
The severity and rapid spread of the fire have been attributed to the cladding, which failed to comply with building regulations.
While the fire continued to spread, residents were initially told to remain in their apartments and await rescue from the fire department.
Official advice to residents was only changed almost two hours later when it was too late for many residents trapped on the upper floors.
Considered the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War, the blaze burned for around 60 hours.
Lucy North/PA Wire
How many people died in the Grenfell Tower fire?
Of the victims, 70 died on the scene, while two later died in hospital.
Those who died came from 19 different countries worldwide and brought a wealth of stories, skills, jobs, and religions with them.
The youngest victim was an unborn baby called Logan Gomes, who died in his mother’s womb because of the smoke. He was one of 19 children who died in the tragedy.
What have previous reports said?
Two years after the disaster, an initial 2019 report found that the tower’s cladding failed to meet building regulations, leading to the “profoundly shocking” fire spread.
It also criticised the fire department for instructing residents to remain in their apartments.
According to Reuters, 58 people and 19 firms are under investigation for their role in the fire. However, criminal prosecutions are unlikely soon as investigators must consider the September 4 report’s findings.
Many families around the UK reportedly still live in buildings that contain similarly deadly cladding.
Will Grenfell Tower be rebuilt?
The ruins of the gutted Grenfell Tower still stand as a heartbreaking reminder of the incident.
Discussions are ongoing about its future and whether it’ll be turned into a memorial or demolished in due course.
Authorities are reportedly no closer to deciding what to do with the building. However, it’s unlikely that it will be rebuilt.
Instead, the current plan focuses on the eventual demolition of the tower. The site is being maintained, with regular updates on activities such as rewrapping the building and monitoring air quality. A principal contractor, DUK, has been appointed to manage the site.
