Inferno swallowed up 19 floors in just 12 minutes
HORRIFYING pictures emerged yesterday of the charred remains of the flat where the Grenfell Tower fire started.
Seventy-two people were killed after the blaze ripped through the housing block.
A public inquiry into the tragedy heard the moment Behailu Kebede, one of three people living in the fourth-floor flat, rang the emergency services shortly after the fire broke out just before 1am.
In the call, he says: “Quick, quick, quick. It’s burning.”
Mr Kebede told the 999 handler the fire had begun in his fridge.
But experts concluded the “origin of the fire was in, or around, the tall fridge freezer”.
Earlier a report laid bare the multiple failings which amplified the disaster in Kensington, west London, on June 14 last year.
Experts found the cladding on the outside of the building did not comply “with recommended fire performance”. It allowed the blaze to spread up seven storeys within seven minutes, and 19 of the block’s 25 storeys within 12 minutes. In total 70 flats were ablaze in under two hours.
It spread even quicker because of scores of non-compliant fire doors. Some of the doors lasted as little as 20 minutes instead of the required 60. A faulty fire fighting lift also made rescue efforts harder, it said.
The fire service was slammed for its “stay-put” policy, which encouraged residents to remain in their flats in the event of a blaze.
Fire safety engineer Barbara Lane’s damning report said it was “unclear” why people were not told to flee sooner.
The insufficient fire doors also allowed smoke to flood quickly into the building’s stairwells.
Dr Lane’s report said: “This greatly reduced the time available using breathing apparatus and so the time available for rescue on the upper floors and particularly above Level 15.”
Grenfell United, the main body for survivors and bereaved families, said in a statement: “This is the beginning of a long road to justice.
“The scale of the tragedy has devastated our lives and our community.
“What makes it even worse for us is the knowledge that these deaths were completely avoidable.”