Fri 8 Jun 2018, 10:29 AM | Posted by editor
LETTER from Mark Langabeer, Newton Abbot L.P. personal capacity.
The ITV channel aired a programme that had eye witness accounts of the first 24 minutes of the Grenfell Tower fire that resulted in 72 deaths.
It began as a small kitchen fire, that quickly engulfed the whole building. The findings of the public inquiry have confirmed many of the eye witness accounts of events. The Inquiry’s findings include flaws in the Towers fire doors, ventilation system and water supply.
The key reason for the speed in which the fire spread was the placement of cladding on the walls of the block. The inquiry has also found that the ‘stay put’ policy failed and may have also contributed to a loss of life.
Eye-witnesses gave harrowing accounts of the fire. There were also accounts of the bravery of fire fighters and many residents. Of the 220 survivors, 65 were rescued by firefighters. It was reported that more than half of the 72 deaths were from the top three floors.
As the fire took hold, horror turned to anger. One man shouted, ‘ How is this possible, in the richest borough of Europe? The survivors and bereaved families have demanded justice. Disturbingly, 297 tower blocks still have cladding that is similar to Grenfell.
As the programme stated, the Grenfell Tower fire was the worst since the Blitz during WW2. A Labour Government must commit to all of the Inquiry recommendations. Above all, it must place people’s needs above that of private profit.
