GRENFELL TOWER BLOCK INFERNO IN WEST LONDON Story by Dauda Awwal When sadness fills your hearts, tears flow in your eyes. At least 79 people are believed to have died after a huge fire engulfed a Grenfell Tower-24 storey building at west London. Eighteen people injured remain in the hospital, nine in critical care at King's College Hospital at the time of press. This is heartbreaking !.
Grenfell Tower
London fire-fighters were called to Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road early hour on Wednesday 14 June,2017 and the fire was brought under control at 01:14 BST. The fire was reported to have started on the fourth floor to the Eighteen floor and spread quickly to the top. Dalnews confirmed, Over 200 London Fire Fighters worked extreme condition to tackle the blaze. They made their way through the tower's smoky corridors. The block was built in 1974.The landlords are the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea running nearly 10,000 properties on behalf of the Conservative local councils housing in the United Kingdom. The leader of the Council, Nick Paget-Brown told the journalist that high rise building were regularly inspected. There are 4000 tower blocks that did not have fire sprinklers fitted in them in United Kingdom. In 2009, three women and three children were killed by a fire in the 14-storey Lakanal House, in Camberwell, south-east London, which started in a TV set on the ninth floor. Southwark Council admitted it had failed to address fire risks and was fined £270,000, plus £300,000 in costs. The Grenfell Tower did not have a Sprinkler system. Under UK new law, all new residential blocks over 30m high must have sprinkler system fitted. Many people complains why the Grenfell Tower Council spent £8.3m on renovating the estate when it was still run down ?. Cladding fitted to the block during the refurbishment contributed to the inferno. The hired specialists refurbishment from Rydon to modernise the blocks under £8.6m contract that included fitting the external cladding. many of the residents of the building reportedly not hearing the alarms. Survivors blamed contractor not Parliament. According to the media, fitted cladding to the Grenfell Tower bursts into flames after just 2 minutes of heat is revealed during the laboratory fire test. Material was heated to 700 degree C in a lab, compared to 1,ooo degree C recorded at Grenfell . The footage video on BBC News and Sky News shows cladding used by the contractor far lower than those seen in the inferno. Local Authorities are required to ensure appropriate the safety procedures are in place in council block in UK. Witnesses reported seeing people jumping from the building in the disaster, people screaming for help from all angles. endless numbers of people trapped in the building including children. No glass remain in any of the
windows of the building. A number of witnesses have told me that they asked them to stay in their flat after the fire first broke out, this led to loss of lives and properties. The landlords are the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea running nearly 10,000 properties on behalf of the conservative local councils housing in the UK, the leader of the council Nick Paget-Brown told the journalists that high rise building were regularly inspected. The residents had repeatedly raised concerns in the years before the blaze, their voices fell on deaf ears at the Kesington and Chelsea council. Fury over the tragedy. The way tower burned was very unusual in UK. The fire spread throughout the building, the victims are Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikh, Christians, Arabs, British, Africans and other tribes. A woman dropped her baby from the 9th floor or 10th floor at the building a man managed to catch the baby. Not all victims may be identified according to the police . Many people complained why the Grenfell Tower Council spent £8.3m on renovating the estate when it was still run down ? Cladding fitted to the block during the refurbishment contributed to the inferno. The hired specialists refurbishment from Rydon to modernise the blocks under £8.6m contract that included fitting the external cladding. . The contractor said the Tower blocks are designed so fires should stay contained within individual flats. Many of the residents of the building reportedly not hearing the alarms. Some told me that they blamed contractor not the Parliament. According to the Media, fitted cladding to the Grenfell Tower bursts into flames after just 2 minutes of heat is revealed during the laboratory fire test Material was heated to 700 degree C in a lab, compared to 1,ooo degree C recorded at Grenfell .The footage video on BBC News and Sky News shows cladding used by the contractor far lower than those seen in the inferno. The test carried shown by sky news reveals that cladding fitted to the outside of the building during the refurbishment 2016 contributed to the disaster. The company used three type s of panel which is a flammable plastic core which is cheaper version. According to the Engineer Alistair Monk 'Rough calculations suggests panels covered 2,000 square meters of Grefell's exterior: Contractor could have acquired the fire resistant version for less than £5,000 extra'. Alarm will go often go off only on the floor affected according to Fire safety expert Mr Elvin Edward who spoke to BBC Radio 4.
Mr. Robert Bond who is the Chief Executive of the company has insisted that its project met all required building regulations. He added that they employed a sub contractor known as Haeley facedes to install the cladding. It was paid ÂŁ2.6m.
Exposed Pipes It's so difficult to control your emotions the way the dreadful monument devastated lives. Disabled people living on the 18th floor were perished . Witnesses told me that a fridge exploded caused the inferno, some denied this, saying something malicious happened. 'Flammable cladding, only one fire exit ,no fire alarms sounded, no sprinkler system'. Does anyone know how it all started ? According to my investigation, a man whose flat started on the fourth floor packed all his luggage before raising alarm. Who was he ? He warned his pregnant neighbour Maryam Adam who lived the same floor to leave the building before the inferno. Police announced 79 people are missing and presumed dead in the disaster, fourteen people are in hospital eight are in critical care, the search to recover bodies continuing. ''the investigation is a police investigation ,we investigate
criminal matters, the investigation will identify any criminal offence that has been committed, it will be wide ranging'' Adding that 'the building itself is in a very hazardous state, it is going to take a period of time for our specialists, both from the police and from the London fire brigade to fully search, that buildings to make sure we locate and recover everybody that has sadly perished in that fire. We will be doing that as swiftly as we can'. An investigation led by a Senior Detective from Scotland Yard's homicide and major crime says this is 'Corporate Manslaughter' arrests to be made, we will get to the answer of what happened and why ?''
The Queen and Prince William were greeted as they arrived the scene on Friday June 18,2017.The Queen had said her thoughts and prayers with affected families.
The Queen
Prime Minister, Theresa May went to the St Clements's Church close to scene of the disaster to meet the volunteers before 5pm on Friday 16 June,2017, she spent 45 minutes, she commended the bravery of emergency services and the speed response of the local people and volunteers. As she left an angry crowd targeted her with cries of 'coward' the police held back the angry demonstrators as May drove off. Downing Street announces ÂŁ5m after she left.
The Prime Minister drove off
In a written statement issued after the meeting she said :''The individual stories I heard this morning at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital were horrific. I spoke with people who ran from the fire in only the clothes they were wearing ,they have been left with nothing. the government is there for them at this terrible time''.
PM-Theresa May
Thousands of protesters storm town hall demanding for help for those becomes homeless and demanding for justice. Protester blocked the road and filled the street . May spent two and half hours meeting with the victims, residents, community leaders and volunteers in Downing Street after her brief visit which led to complains by the protesters.PM heard their concern and set out ÂŁ5m emergency fund and promised to give more, the fund will help the victims to buy food and clothes. Theresa May ordered daily progress reports on the housing for the those affected.
The Protesters
The angry protesters and residents demanding for accountability from government and Grenfell council. Grief turns to anger with protests in West and Central London over the disaster, saying we all owe death a life. PM spent little time with the victims, asking PM why she couldn't spare time to meet the residents, this led to protest, the protesters stormed downing Street and Kensington. Angry crowds shout ''coward' at PM. Many experts complained about the type of cladding used to insulate the building. The cause of this tragedy remains unknown. 'This is national disaster with national consequences'. Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said. Two women feared dead in the Grenfell Tower were threatened with legal action after raising fears over the fire safety. Mariem Elgwahry 27,the mother of three ,Nadia Choucair,33 were reportedly sent letters ordering them to stop a campaign for improved safety of the building before the great disaster no one listened to them.
The Grenfell Tower burning The anger grew over the failures of the safety. Tottenham Labour MP David Lammy said Government must arrest whoever caused this disaster after the investigation. He described the disaster as 'corporate manslaughter'. The fire protection Association (FPA),the UK 's national fire safety organization says when property fitted with its polyethylene insulation expertly-cladding should resist fire. The case is different in this great disaster. Many people have been leaving handwritten condolence messages on a wall of condolence.
Met Police have launched a criminal investigation Met Police Commander Stuart Cundy said police have been ordered by the Prime Minister Theresa May for a full inquiry. The government £5m emergency fund have been outlined including a discretion fund for the funeral cost. I never seen a fire of this nature in my life-Aisha Mohammed Survivors of the building are given £10 million by local council .Kensington MP Emma Dent helped the victims. West London film producer Nisha Perti has helped the affected families The Bishop of Kensington Dr Graham Tomlin has prayed for the people affected .More than £200,000 of government money has been paid out of 180 families affected. The payment made of £500 cash and £5000 cash as a bank account payment, coordinated by the Grenfell Response Team. It has been confirmed that 126 hotels places have been given to the families while 78 were due to be re-housed locally in a neighbouring borough. George Smith, Hammersmith MP offered some places to live. Fire Commander, Dary Cotton said: 'It will take a very long process to discover the number of the victims' . Specialist dogs brought to the scene to search for evidence and identification of the people trapped in the building. Londoners unite in the face of this tragedy donating food, hotel rooms, money to help families who lost their homes. Croydon council has announced it will install sprinklers inside all 25 tower blocks higher than ten storeys in the borough in response to the tragedy to the Grenfell Tower. Witnesses told me 'why there were no helicopter as force dropped water at the tower ? It could be because our public service have suffered from so many cuts in UK''.
Body of the victims being removed from the building
Syrian refugee Mohammad Alhajali ,23 was the first victim named by the police, he was a civil engineering student, lived on the 14th floor of the building. An artist-Khadija Saye who lived on the 20th floor was the second victim and Five-year-old Isaac Shawo was third.They were all killed in the disaster. Muhammad Hakim lost his wife and his parents. Raheemat Anam lost her life. Jessica Urbano Ramirez,12 missed, Muhammad Nur,
Isaac Shawo
Khadija Saye
Mohammad Saber missed, Farhad 22 is being treated at Chelsea Hospital. The mother of Folora Shakila is in intensive care at King's College Hospital. Why media didn't expose the full list of the residents as the electoral roll services have residents names and contact?.
The missing victims of the Grenfell Tower with the floor number of the flats
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have advised the PM-Theresa May to make public inquiry in a letter sent urging her to take 'leading up to and contributing to this most terrible incident ".She should make recommendations to avoid a similar future disaster. He said the Labour Party was committed to do "all in our power" to ensure the Grenfell Tower fire was "the last such tragedy of its kind in the UK". Survivors who lost their properties and families has been re-housed in the Kensington area. The total of 109 households they have been given
emergency accommodation in hotels in Kensington and neighbouring borough. survivors are to be re-housed in a luxury development in the heart of Kensington . Sixty-eight flats have been bought by the Kensington and Chelsea Council worth ÂŁ2bn.The blocks to be given to the affected families as permanent homes. the new flats is located at 375 Kensington High Street, known as Wolfe House. Labour leader advised the government to look for empty property , the suggestion was initially rejected by the ministers. The
Community Secretary Sajid Javid told Evening Standard 'our priority is to get everyone who has lost their home permanently re-housed locally as soon as possible so that they can begin to rebuild their homes'' . The 250 residents affected currently being offered hotels at the time of press. It was reported that City of London paid ÂŁ10m for the flats immediately after the approval of the mayor of London Sadiq Khan .
Loss of precious lives in this tragedy emotionally moved everyone. May God shower his blessings upon all affected families. My prayer goes to all the victims and the families affected.