Over two years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy which saw the death of 72 people, the families have finally received an embargoed copy of the report on the first phase of the probe before it goes public tomorrow (October 30).
At the first official public inquiry into the fire back in 2017 found that few may have died if key decisions had been made much quicker.
In the report, Inquiry Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick criticised the London Fire Brigade for adopting a “stay put” strategy as residents were told to remain in the burning building for nearly two hours. After the fire broke out just before 1:00 am, the strategy was eventually abandoned at 2:47 am.
However, Sir Moore-Bick believes that the “decision could and should have been made between 1:30 am and 1:50 am and would be likely to have resulted in fewer fatalities.”
He added: “I identify a number of serious shortcomings in the response of the LFB, both in the operation of the control room and on the incident ground” before he went on to say the fire brigade’s planning was “gravely inadequate.”
While the 2019 document was due for release in Easter but was delayed as it proved to be a “far more complex and time-consuming task” than originally anticipated, it’s finally been produced. However, in order for families to read the entire document, they have reportedly been told to sign a non-disclosure agreement beforehand.
The second phase of the inquiry is expected to commence at the start of 2020 as it focuses on the use of flammable cladding for the tower block’s refurbishment. At this time, it’s reported that any criminal charges are unlikely to be made until at least a year later.
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