Debt of thanks we owe heroes of the inferno

No one could fail to be moved by last week’s harrowing account of the Grenfell Tower inferno given by firefighter Jon Wharnsby. Jon and his colleagues raced into the burning building in an attempt to rescue those trapped without any regard for their own safety.

Although Jon managed to save women and children from the tenth floor, he could not reach those on the 14th because he was beaten back by the flames and smoke. However, the heroic actions of all the crews sent to the scene that night should never be underestimated. We owe them a huge debt of thanks. A. Brown, Surrey The tragic events at Grenfell Tower have shown yet again the fantastic professionalism and commitment of the emergency services. And the local community rallied round to help those who had lost everything in a way only the British seem to do. My heart goes out to the residents. There are serious questions that now need to be addressed. Why was there no sprinkler system? It could have been installed during the recent refurbishment. And were there enough fire-retardant doors? Roger Findlay, King’s Lynn, Norfolk Sadly, this terrible fire only highlights some of the greed that plagues our modern-day society. One day I hope those responsible will be dumped in jail, with their assets seized to pay for new homes for the survivors and the victims’ families. Peter Bryant, Ramsgate, Kent It was too much to hope that there would be no immediate accusations of blame at Grenfell Tower. We had singer Lily Allen arriving at the scene to imply that it was a tragedy imposed by Tory politicians. These simplistic accusations had no bearing on what might have been the cause.

Ivan Martin, Hitchin, Herts As usual the Labour Party have jumped on the bandwagon to make political gain – blaming the Government – instead of looking for the people who are really to blame: the local council and their employees, who oversaw the work.

R. Stevens, Maghull, Merseyside After 9/11, I had hoped the world’s best creative minds would by now have found solutions for emergency escapes from tall buildings.

John Bradfield, Harrogate How about diverting money from the foreign aid budget to help the people affected by the fire?