A public inquiry into a fire at the Grenfell Tower apartments in London that killed 72 people seven years ago will issue a report on Wednesday with survivors and families hoping it spells out who was to blame.
The fire that ripped through the 23-storey social housing block in one of the wealthiest areas of west London during the early hours of June 14, 2017, was Britain’s deadliest in a residential building since World War Two.
A combustible cladding system retrofitted to the tower’s exterior helped the flames to spread uncontrollably, while many died in their apartments because they followed official guidance to stay where they were and await rescue.
Harrowing accounts of those who perished in the densely populated social housing block prompted national soul-searching over building standards and the treatment of low-income communities.
“We will never forget the 72 lives lost at Grenfell, and we share the families’ and community’s determination to get to the truth of what happened, and for all those responsible to be held to account,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson told reporters.
On Wednesday, the inquiry into the disaster, headed by retired judge Martin Moore-Bick, will deliver its final conclusions, having examined the building’s design and maintenance, whether safety regulations were adhered to and if they were adequate.