Profit Over People: How Incompetence And Greed Claimed 72 Lives In London's Grenfell Tower Blaze

Seven years later after a horrific fire at London's Grenfell Tower claimed 72 lives, a public inquiry into the fire has revealed that all of the deaths could have been avoided.

The inquiry published on Wednesday revealed the stark failures of the UK government, the construction industry and the lack of fire safety in residential buildings.

1,700 pages pointed out that the deadly fire was the end result of "decades of failure" where profit was placed over people.

What Was The Grenfell Tower Blaze?

On June 14, 2017, a high-rise fire broke out at Grenfell Tower flats in West London. The fire at the 24-storey building burned for a total of 60 fires and claimed 70 lives due to the fire.

Two others died after they succumbed to the injuries caused by the apartment blaze. The fire which started as an electrical fault and kitchen fire on the fourth floor, soon spread to the cladding panel of the building.

The fire began to spread rapidly and firefighters then saw another fire on the fifth floor. Residents fled to higher floors as large quantities of debris began to fall. While some managed to escape the fire, many residents fell to their deaths due to the intensity of the flames.

The fire which started at 12:54 AM BST spread at a "terrifying rate" and by 1:30 AM, the blaze grew out of control. The fire was brought under control around midnight of June 15 and was declared extinguished on June 16, 2017.

Of a total of 293 residents in the building, 223 people managed to escape the fire and were rescued by firefighters. A total of 72 people were killed in the incident, including a large number of children.

The Grenfell Tower Blaze also etched itself into history by becoming one of the deadliest residential building fires in the UK since the Blitz during World War 2.

What Has The Inquiry Revealed?

Over the 1,700 page inquiry, the words "incompetence", "greed" and "dishonesty" found multiple mentions. As per the inquiry's chair Martin Moore-Bick, all 72 deaths caused due to the blaze "were all avoidable".

Seven years of research and investigation pointed the blame on the companies involved in the maintenance and refit of the tower. The report added that companies had dishonestly marketed combustible cladding materials as safe.

The inquiry named three major firms - Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex - and accused them of "misleading the market". Architects Studio E and the the builders from Rydon and Harley Facades were also held responsible for the blaze.

The Theresa May government was also brought under fire, along with the local authorities of Kensington and Chelsea for their inaction over fire safety in high-rise buildings.

"Not all of them bear the same degree of responsibility for the eventual disaster, but as our reports show, all contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases, through incompetence, but in some cases, through dishonesty and greed," said Moore-Bick.

Grenfell United, a group representing the families of the victims and survivors of the fire called out the government for its failure to safeguard life.

"The duty of government should be to safeguard life, whilst protecting us from corporate greed. But for too long, they have aided corporations, facilitating them to profit and dictate regulation," said Grenfell United.

With the release of the much-awaited inquiry, police have revealed a total of 58 people and 19 organisations have been put under investigation. However, due to the delayed report, any prosecutions over corporate manslaughter and fraud for the accused remain years away.

The 2024 report comes years after the initial report in 2019 which examined the sequence of events on the night of June 17, 2017, and the actions of the fire brigades.

The 2019 report, which was phase one of the inquiry revealed the cause of the fire - an electrical fault in the refrigerator - and the reason behind the rapid spread of the fire - the building had been covered with cladding made from flammable aluminium composite material which acted as a source of fuel.

The phase one report also praised the courage of the firefighters but highlighted the failure among fire brigade chiefs who had not been prepared for the Grenfell fire.

One of the major criticisms was the "Stay put" strategy deployed by the fire brigade as not only did it trap residents inside the tower as they watched it burn but it also took lives which could have been saved easily.

Grenfell Surivivors, Victims 'Failed For Years'

Following the publication of phase two of the inquiry report, newly elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologised to the relatives of victims and survivors of the Grenfell tower on behalf of his predecessors.

"It should never have happened. The country failed to discharge its most fundamental duty, to protect you and your loved ones," said Starmer during a session of the parliament."

The Labour leader also expressed his admiration for the strength to relive the events of Grenfell while giving evidential accounts for the inquiry report and called for a "day of justice".