Tower’s feared renovation flaws causes anger in London

LONDON — Grief turned to outrage Friday over a deadly high-rise tower fire in London amid reports that materials used in the building’s renovation could have fueled the inferno that left dozens dead and missing as it decimated the public housing block.

Engineering experts say outside insulation panels installed on the 24-story Grenfell Tower may have helped the fire spread rapidly from one floor to the next. The Guardian newspaper reported Friday that contractors installed a cheaper, less flame-resistant type of paneling in the $12.8 million renovation that ended in May 2016.

Tensions were high Friday two days after the overnight fire gutted the huge housing block, killing at least 30 people and leaving dozens missing and hundreds homeless.

There are fears that the number of dead in the fire couldexceed 100.

Scuffles broke out near the Kensington and Chelsea town hall offices as demonstrators chanting “We want justice!” surged toward the doors.

London has a chronic housing shortage, and those left homeless by the fire — already angry over what they see as government inequity and incompetence — fear being forced out of the British capital.

The Grenfell Tower housedsome 600 people in 120 apartments. Britain’s Press Association reported that some 70 people are still missing after the fire, based on verified reports.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said people were frustrated by the lack of information about the missing and the dead as well as a lack of coordination between relief and support services. Residents who survived the blaze lost everything and have no idea where they are going to live or how they will get back on their feet.

After meeting with Grenfell survivors on Friday, Ms. May announced a $6.4 million fund to help them and expressed sorrow for their plight. The package includes a guarantee to rehouse people as close as possible to wherethey previously lived.

But the Conservative leader still struggled to overcome accusations that she lacked compassion because she had failed to meet with victims on her first visit to the devastated site.

Police surrounded Ms. May as she left a church Friday following the meeting with survivors. Protesters shouted “Shame on you!” and“Coward!”

Using drones and sniffer dogs, firefighters continued to search the burned-out housing block that looms over a low-income community next to the super-affluent Notting Hill neighborhood in westLondon.

The fire, which started just before1 a.m. Wednesday, surprised many as they slept. The speed with which it spread shocked experts and its heavy black smoke forced many residents to stay inside andwait for help.

London Police have launched an investigation to determine whether any crimes contributed to the blaze. Ms. May on Thursday announced a public inquiry, a probe that investigates issues of major public concern.