Horror revisited
GRENFELL: THE FIRST 24 HOURS ITV, 9pm
IT’S almost a year since the world watched in horror as a devastating fire destroyed Grenfell Tower.
What started as a small kitchen fire on the fourth floor of the east side of the building spread to the very top, 23 storeys high, in just minutes.
The blaze eventually took over the whole tower, claiming 72 lives and becoming the deadliest fire in Britain since the war.
The horror of watching this West London block of flats, home to more than 350 residents, become an inferno of flames is understandably seared into the memories of everyone who was there that night.
This special documentary talks to many of those people – Grenfell residents, their families and neighbours, and the firefighters who fought to rescue them.
With unseen footage and personal accounts of that terrible night, it follows what happened from the very first 999 call at 12.57am right through to when the London Fire Brigade declared the fire was finally under control, more than 24 hours later.
There are accounts of incredible bravery and heroism, and an insight into the horrific conditions inside the building. The film also shows the extraordinary response of the community, rallying to support those who had been made homeless and those who had lost loved ones.
And it shows how that work still goes on today, with a monthly silent march from the council offices to the tower, where the Grenfell community meet and thank firefighters – all of whom have been changed forever by what happened that awful day.