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Commemoration in London: The flammable facade cladding turned a fire into a disaster
Photo:
Alberto Pezzali / AP
“Forever in our hearts”: these words were repeated 72 times in Westminster Abbey, for each individual victim of the London fire disaster five years ago.
On June 14, 2017, 72 people died when the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey social building, burned down in the west of the British capital.
At the service, attended by London Mayor Sadiq Khan and former Prime Minister Theresa May, among others, clergymen from various religions read the names of the women, men and children who died in the accident.
The words "Forever in our Hearts" are also written on the now shrouded, burned-out Grenfell Tower in Kensington.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson also offered his condolences to the family on the anniversary.
The cause of the fire on June 14, 2017 was a defective refrigerator in an apartment on the fourth floor of the 24-story public housing building in North Kensington.
The flames spread rapidly over large parts of the residential tower via a flammable façade cladding, and dozens of residents were helplessly at the mercy of the fire.
Fire brigade: jobs cut since 2017
To this day, those affected make serious allegations against the authorities.
Among other things, they accuse the government of having cut funds for fire protection and the authorities responsible for social housing before the disaster.
Moreover, as The Times reported, 640,000 people in the kingdom still live in buildings with the same cladding that made the Grenfell Tower a death trap.
The tragedy is still being worked up: An investigative commission is investigating the causes of the fire.
After the disaster, the fire brigade itself was accused of failure.
She initially asked the residents of the burning tower to stay in their apartments.
A complete evacuation of the high-rise building was only ordered after two hours.
Apr/dpa/AFP
