Passing the inferno, five years ago today

Passing the inferno, five years ago today

News

norman lebrecht

June 14, 2022

I was on my way to catch an early-morning flight to Berlin when the sight of Grenfell Towers burning was imprinted on my mind.

The North Kensington fire, which burned for 24 hours and killed 72 residents, will long endure as a symbol of national decay.

Pray for the innocents who died. Punish those responsible.

The inquiry continues.

Comments

  • Gustavo says:

    “Punish those responsible.”

    How?

    I thought this inferno was ultimately caused by a broken refrigerator.

  • corruption in UK says:

    And what?
    You expect a government that doesn’t even respect its own or international laws to do anything about it?
    Bojo was a joke as mayor of London.
    The approaches to the grenville fiasco and others like it, now just waiting to catch fire and burn down, all were done plus approved on his watch.

  • Rob says:

    Everyone can remember the vile Theresa May refusing to meet survivers and residents of Grenfell, and Boris Johnson, who as the previous mayor, had made cuts to the fire services, and when questioned by a London Assembly member about that, told them to “Get Stuffed.”

  • Iain says:

    Wow, so many fire experts hanging out on Slippedisc.

    Seems to me that a lot of mistakes made over many years and by many organisations (not all of them British) contributed to this tragedy.

    • corruption in UK says:

      We don’t need your snide comments.
      All you had to do was listen to the long interview on BBC lunchtime news today, to one of the very first firemen who was to arrive on the scene.

      May I suggest you listen to it in full on BBC sounds.

      The man is clearly still in deep distress, and that’s a fireman with 24 years service NO LESS.
      His conclusion is damning.

      1/ That lives could have easily been saved if there had been proper EVACUATION procedures instead of people being told to stay put and die.

      2/ That absolutely !#&*!# nothing has been done since to sort out the point in 1/, and that very little has been done at all to make it possible to prevent further fires in high rise blocks.

      3/ That far from actually doing anything about it, the enquiry is still wandering on 5 yrs later, doing nothing of any use, and exempting any of the companies that installed the deadly cladding from any sort of legal responsibility.

      CORRUPT BRITAIN, corrupt to the very heart of government.
      When do we get a chance to kick them all out?

      • Giles says:

        You get a chance to kick them out at the next general election (as I expect you know). In the meantime:

        1) This was fire/emergency department advice. It was wrong.

        2) Don’t understand your point, but the emergency services’ standard “stay put” advice was changed almost immediately as a result of this tragedy. All other high-rise blocks with cladding issues now have 24/7 fire warden protection whilst remedial work is under consideration.

        3) This is just plain nonsense. The corporate failures of the companies that produced the relevant materials are well known. Also, the HMG failures to respond to tests and industry concerns are also well-known. Further, there are wider liability and insurance issues which are independent of the review and which are paying out large amounts for remedial work in respect of other blocks with similar issues. This is an ongoing process.

        So rant away; but it would helpful if you knew what you are ranting about.

      • Iain says:

        Well instead of just listening to the BBC, you should do some research into the long standing policy that resulted in people being told to stay put.

      • Helen says:

        From the Applications Engineering website:

        “One London firefighter, Tony Sullivan, who attended the Grenfell fire as part of a relief crew in its later stages, has spoken out about the stay-put policy to bust the growing myths. He says, “the “stay put” policy is the only thing that can work routinely in a residential high-rise building.”

        High-rise buildings are designed (Grenfell was an anomaly because of the cladding) to contain fire in individual flats and for stairways to remain free from smoke and heat. For this to work, all doors should be fire doors and should remain closed in the event of fire. Door seals and closers also need to be in working order.

        Sullivan explains that if everyone were to evacuate the building at the same time it would not only compromise the fire safety of the building, it would cause mayhem and havoc in the stairwells with the likely outcome of crush injuries. The opening of all doors would also create a chimney-like effect, spreading fire, rather than containing it.”

        You seem determined to use the deaths of these people for party political purposes. Sick.

        • DML says:

          If I were to find myself in a high rise flat with fire encroaching would I sit there and wait? After Grenfell I think not. Also weren’t such buildings meant to have 2 staircases and Grenfell only had one?

  • Sam's Hot Car Lot says:

    Here in North America, I watched this in horror live in primetime on BBC World. I thought to myself: this is what you would expect in a Third World city, not the metropole of a once great empire.

    Does anyone know if the inquiry has dealt much with the issue of why it was permissible for the building to be wrapped in plastic cladding? That wouldn’t be legal under North American building codes.

  • Madeleine Richardson says:

    I was in Vienna where I was on an opera holiday (Don Carlos) and was looking at TV later. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

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