Firefighter ‘had to lie to Grenfell victim’

 A firefighter tackling the blaze at Grenfell Tower could not bring himself to tell a mother that she was not going to be rescued as he listened to her die on the phone, the inquiry into the disaster heard yesterday.

Zainab Deen and her son Jeremiah, two, died after becoming trapped on the 14th floor of the burning high-rise. Their final moments were relayed by firefighter Christopher Batcheldor. Mr Batcheldor reassured her they would be rescued, even though he knew his colleagues could not reach them.

In a written account, he said: “I basically lied to her and continued to tell her that we were coming for her.” After five to 10 minutes of quiet, he heard “ear-splitting” screams before silence again. The inquiry continues.