Deadly errors that fuelled the Grenfell inferno
Report reveals how botched £10m refurb helped the blaze to spread
THE deadly failings that fuelled the Grenfell Tower blaze have been exposed in a damning report.
A disastrous refurbishment included a series of failures that meant the high-rise block was quickly engulfed by flames.
Without the botched £10million upgrade, there would have been ‘little opportunity’ for the inferno to spread. Instead, errors in building work turned it into a tinderbox.
The analysis, by fire investigation experts BRE Global, found that ‘deficiencies’ in the facade went beyond the addition of flammable cladding and insulation.
Other errors included gaps around windows and incorrectly-fitted safety devices that helped – rather than hindered – the devastating blaze to spread up the exterior.
The draft report was prepared as part of a Scotland Yard investigation into the tragedy – which claimed the lives of 71 residents on June 14 last year. Describing the effects of the refurbishment of the 1970s block, experts wrote: ‘Grenfell Tower, as originally built, appears to have been designed on the premise of providing very high levels of passive fire protection.
‘The original facade of Grenfell Tower, comprising exposed concrete and, given its age, likely timber or metal frame windows, would not have provided a medium for fire spread up the external surface.
‘In BRE’s opinion... there would have been little opportunity for a fire in a flat of Grenfell Tower to spread to any neighbouring flats.’
The company said the refurbishment of the west London tower block was carried out for the social housing arm of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea between 2014 and 2016 but failed to meet fire safety standards.
The blaze, which started in a fridge-freezer in a fourth-floor flat, was able to travel through a nearby open window before spreading via the cladding.
The report, dated January 31, highlighted the use of ‘combustible’ insulation material and UPVC plastic cladding in the revamp. But it also identified major flaws in a series of other measures.
Cavity barriers meant to stop fire were installed back to front or upside down and were ‘insufficient’ to bridge the gap between the surface of the 24-storey building and the cladding. Such defects created a chimney-like effect that ‘ provided a route for fire to spread’, said BRE experts.
Window frames were narrower than the gap they were placed in, meaning the blaze could move to the building’s facade and back into other flats.
The error was significant as the first obstacle the fire in the fourth floor flat encountered was a window frame, the London Evening Standard reported.
There was also a lack of so-called ‘door closers’ – a mechanical arm that automatically closes a door.
As residents fled their flats, doors stayed open and allowed the fire to spread into the lobby, the lifts and single stairwell.
The report found that 45 per cent of door closers were absent or not working. The absence of a sprinkler system and the narrow single internal stairwell also breached building regulations. The cumulative effect of the failings provided ‘fuel’ for the fire to spread. The Metropolitan Police, which has received a draft copy of the report, said evidence could be used to bring about criminal charges.
A public inquiry is due to start next month. Grenfell United, the main group for survivors, called the report ‘shocking but not surprising’. It said in a statement: ‘It was clear to us the refurbishment was shoddy and second rate. We raised concerns time and time again. We were not just ignored but bullied to keep quiet.’
The group added: ‘It is vital the police investigation and the public inquiry uncover everything that led to the fire and that the Government now actually acts so that this can never happen again.’
Kensington and Chelsea Council said it was ‘committed to finding the truth’.
‘Bullied into keeping quiet’