Outrage erupts in London over tower fire

Safety of new exterior insulation questioned

LONDON — Grief turned to outrage Friday over a deadly highrise tower fire in London amid reports that materials used in the building’s renovation could have fuelled the inferno that left dozens dead and missing as it decimated the public housing block.

Engineering experts say outside insulation panels installed on the 24-storey Grenfell Tower may have helped the fire spread rapidly from one floor to the next. The Guardian newspaper reported Friday that contractors installed a cheaper, less flame-resistant type of panelling in the renovation that ended in May 2016.

Tensions were high Friday two days after the overnight fire gutted the huge housing block, killing at least 30 people and leaving dozens missing and hundreds homeless.

Scuffles broke out near the Kensington and Chelsea town hall offices as demonstrators chanting “We want justice!” surged toward the doors. London has a chronic housing shortage even in the best of times, and those left homeless by the fire fear being forced out of the British capital.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said people were frustrated by the lack of information about the missing and the dead as well as a lack of co-ordination between relief and support services.

Residents of the tower who survived the blaze lost everything and have no idea where they are going to live or how they will get back on their feet.

“The scale of this tragedy is clearly proving too much for the local authority to cope with on their own,” Khan said in an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May.

After meeting with Grenfell survivors Friday, May announced a £5-million ($8.5-million) fund to help them and expressed sorrow for their plight. The package includes a guarantee to rehouse people as close as possible to where they previously lived.