Police tower probe should end by spring

GRENFELL Tower will cease to be a crime scene by around springtime, police hope.

The tower has been the site of intense forensic examination every day since the blaze, as police picked through tonnes of debris to recover and identify those who died.

Announcing what the force believes to be the final death toll of 71, including a baby stillborn after the fire, Scotland Yard gave further details on the progress of the probe into the disaster.

Police will effectively hand the tower, which is owned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, back in spring when they have finished their investigations as far as the building is concerned.

Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said: “The decision about what happens to the tower will then be a matter for them (the owner) and others, that will not be a decision for the police.”

The tower is earmarked for demolition towards the end of next year.

Police teams have been removing parts of the external facade and cladding from the block as they prepare to test the materials to discover how the fire took hold and spread, tearing through the high-rise on June 14.

Investigators will look to do a reconstruction, physically and using computer remodelling, of the flat where the fire started, Mr Cundy said.

Work began last month to cover the charred ruin, with scaffolding erected alongside the residential block so white sheeting can be put in place, floor by floor, to shield it from public view.

Police are working to bag up and remove more than 15 tonnes of debris from each floor of the building.

Mr Cundy said some of the debris, which will be held at a secure location as it is legally owned by the coroner, could include “minuscule human remains which just can’t be physically identified”.