Dogs sent up tower to find missing families
SNIFFER dogs have joined the grim search for bodies in Grenfell Tower.
London Fire Brigade’s canine units were sent into the building along with the Met’s urban search and rescue dogs.
The animals have been given specialist equipment, including Buster boots to protect their feet from heat, glass and other sharp objects that litter the floors of the gutted building.
Wearing high-vis harnesses they will cover the upper floors of the tower block where scores of people, including whole families, are believed to have died in the inferno.
The dogs’ sense of smell is more accurate than any available technology for such work, their trainers say. And because they are much lighter than humans they are at less risk in the weakened structure.
Using dogs also cuts the time firefighters need to spend in the 24-storey building. London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said: “This is a large building, there will be a large amount of building work required internally.
“Before we do that we are going to utilise some specialist dog training teams that we have, that will go through the building and the surrounding area looking for any identification of people.”
She said half of the building had yet to be searched in detail, adding: “It is the upper floors which will be more challenging.
“They will need some additional shoring up for us to be able to get in there.”