Inquiry is told of ‘concerns’ before tower fire

A REFURBISHMENT which residents had no say over introduced exposed gas pipes into the building’s only means of escape, survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have claimed.

Written statements from Dorinda Encarnacion SuarezChans and her husband Jose Costa Cotelo, who lived on the 13th floor of Grenfell Tower, were yesterday given as evidence on the second day of the public inquiry into the disaster, which claimed the lives of 72 people on June 14 2017.

The refurbishment, they said in their statements, led to concerns about exposed pipework. Mrs Suarez-Chans said: “As part of the refurbishment, new pipes were installed for all of the utilities so there were new water pipes, new electricity pipes, new gas pipes and these ran both in our flat but then also outside into the public areas of the building and down the stairwell.

“We were always very concerned that we could get trapped if one of these gas pipes burst and caused a fire on the stairs.

“On our floor, which did say that lifts should not be used in the event of a fire, we were always very concerned that these gas pipes, if there was a problem with them, would potentially block our only means of escape in the event of a fire.”

Their son Ivan Costa Suarez, who also lived in the flat, said he thought pipes that were fitted near its only fire exit were “dangerous”.

Antonio Roncolato, who was the first survivor to give evidence to the inquiry on Wednesday, echoed the family’s claim and said that residents of buildings like Grenfell Tower should be consulted regarding renovation. He said: “Because we were living in a big tower, high-rise building, council estate, social flats, what my suggestion is, is that residents living in these conditions... should not accept things imposed by local authorities from above, but should be part of any decision-making.”

Residents also said in their evidence that the building’s concierge was removed following the refurbishment, which led to a petition in the building to have the position reinstated. Written statements from victims also praised the helpfulness of volunteers but said it was difficult to receive help from council staff.

The inquiry resumes on Monday.