Helicopter fanned flames of Grenfell fire, says relative
THE police watchdog is to investigate after a man who lost six members of his family in the Grenfell Tower disaster claimed a force helicopter hovering over the tower had fanned the flames.
Nabil Choucair made a statement to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), also alleging that the use of the helicopter gave a “cruel and tortuous” hope to his family, who were trapped on the 22nd floor.
Mr Choucair’s mother Sirria, his 29-year-old sister, Nadia, her husband, Baseem, 38, and their three daughters, Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11 and Zeinab, three, are all thought to have perished in the disaster.
He said he had heard 999 calls that suggested the family believed they would be rescued by the aircraft if they remained in their flat.
He told Channel 4 News: “They rang back repeatedly [to the emergency services] specifically requesting ‘helicopter, helicopter’.”
But he said in none of the conversations had the call handlers explained that it was not there to rescue people.
Mr Choucair said he believed other families had made the same mistake of falsely believing the police air crew was there to save them.
The Metropolitan Police will now carry out an investigation, overseen by the IPCC, into the role of the helicopter on the night – one of several prompted by the June 14 fire.
Sarah Green, the IPCC deputy chairman, said: “In the months since the horrifying fire at Grenfell Tower, there has rightly been a determination that all aspects of the tragedy should be properly scrutinised in the interests of survivors, the families of those who died and the wider public.”
♦ Criminals are more likely to run from police because more helicopters are being grounded, a major report has found. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services also found that on average it took 30 minutes and 58 seconds for helicopters to arrive on scene.
‘They rang back repeatedly [to the emergency services] specifically requesting helicopter, helicopter’