Hero, 63, died trying to shelter 6 from flames
A HERO grandfather sheltered six people as they tried to escape the flames in Grenfell Tower, his family said yesterday.
Raymond Bernard, 63, known as Moses, offered shelter to 12year- old Jessica Urbano Ramirez, mother and son Berkti and Biruk Haftom and three other neighbours in his top floor flat.
The bodies of Mrs Haftom, who was ten weeks pregnant, her 12year- old son Biruk, his friend Jessica and their neighbour Debbie Lamprell were all found lying on Mr Bernard’s bed.
His sister Bernadette said they had all headed to the top floor as the flames climbed the building and her brother let them seek refuge in his flat, sitting on the floor while they sat on his bed. Another neighbour found with them was not named.
Miss Bernard told the public inquiry into the tragedy: ‘The positioning of Deborah [Lamprell], Jessica, Berkti and Biruk were on my brother’s bed with my brother resting beside the bed on the floor. This shows the respect he gave to those who lost their lives that night and we know that he would have given comfort to each of them before they took their last breaths and departed this world.
‘ We know from the details shared by the coroner that Ray was a hero on that tragic night.’
She was speaking at the final day of commemorative evidence at the Grenfell Tower inquiry, which has heard tributes to almost all of the 72 people killed.
Families have spoken of acts of courage and devotion from parents who attempted to shield their children from the fire, but also of their anger towards those responsible.
Nabil Choucair, who lost six family members, said his mother Sirria, sister Nadia and brotherin-law Bassem had died trying to protect Nadia and Bassem’s daughters, Mierna, 13, Fatima 11, and three-year-old Zainab.
He said: ‘ We will fight for justice and seek the truth and find out who is accountable for the crimes committed.’ He told the inquiry the deadly inferno could have been prevented if authorities had acted on recommendations made in the aftermath of other tower block fires, such as Lakanal House in Southwark, South London.
He said: ‘Three generations of my family wiped out due to arrogance, yet they still won’t listen.
Grieving daughter Nazanin Aghlani accused the council which owned the tower block of ‘corporate negligence’, saying her disabled and partially sighted mother Sakineh Afrasiabi, 65, stood no chance of escaping from her flat on the 18th floor. She died in the fire with her sister Fatemeh, 59.
Kensington and Chelsea council threatened to take her off its housing list if she refused accommodation there, Mrs Aghlani said, despite its own housing department having previously recommended she should not be housed any higher than the fourth floor.
The inquiry heard Fatemeh Afrasiabi’s husband, who lives in Iran, had been denied a visa to attend the hearings and had been unable to visit his wife’s grave in this country.
Mother Farah Hamdan, 31, died in a stairwell with her sixmonthold baby Leena Belkadi still in her arms. Her husband Omar Belkadi, 32, and their oldest daughter Malak, eight, were also killed.
‘We will find out who is accountable’