REPORT RAP
Fire chiefs’ ‘stay put’ call sealed fate of some of the 72 Grenfell fire victims, report claims
SOME Grenfell Tower victims could have survived if fire chiefs had not told them to stay put, a report will state today.
The two-year inquiry’s findings will slam London Fire Brigade officials over the 72 deaths.
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It accuses them of “serious shortcomings” and “systemic” failures, and blasts Commissioner Dany Cotton as “unsympathetic” and showing “remarkable insensitivity”.
But it praises the “extraordinary bravery and selfless devotion to duty” of the heroic regular firefighters.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s 1,000-page report will fuel demands for the fire brigade to be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter over the blaze in June 2017.
Fire chiefs have already been interviewed under caution by police — but Commissioner Cotton, 50, is retiring on a full pension.
The inquiry will say the “principal reason” the 24-storey block burned at such speed after a 999 call at 00.54am was the aluminium panels and cladding.
Sir Martin will say a decision should have been made to evacuate between 1.30am and 1.50am. The “stay put” policy was lifted at 2.47am when stairwells were blocked with smoke.
Some residents could have escaped down the stairs after 2.20am, the report will reveal. There was no Plan B and no training for evacuation.
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Tenant Behailu Kebede, whose fridge started the fire, was cleared of any blame.
The London Fire Brigade refused to comment before the report was published.
PM Boris Johnson said he hoped the report “will bring some measure of comfort to those who suffered so much”.
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The most damning findings
- Fire chiefs caused more deaths by maintaining the “stay put” policy when residents could have evacuated.
- London Fire Brigade planning “gravely inadequate” with “institutional failure”.
- Experienced incident commanders and senior officers had “no training” to cope with combustible cladding or evacuating a high-rise block.
- Firefighters’ database on tower “years out of date”.
- Commanders failed to spot the compartmentation had failed meaning “stay put” policy should be lifted.
- Commissioner Cotton blasted for “remarkable insensitivity” in her evidence and “lack of curiosity”.
- Shortcomings in call centre meant lack of accurate information to be shared.
- Senior officers had no training on combustible cladding or how to evacuate a high-rise building.
- There was no Plan B after the “stay put” policy failed.
- Fire crews failed to spot that compartmentalisation had failed and the fire was out of control.
- The cladding was flammable and acted “as a source of fuel”.
- The refurbished and combustible cladding was “primarily responsible” for the spread of the fire.
- The tower’s external walls failed to comply with building regulations.
- BUT the report also said crews showed “extraordinary bravery and selfless devotion” by repeatedly running into the burning building.
Families’ tears at Grenfell tower fire memorial for 72 victims two years after tragedy
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