Demonstrators have protested and fought for answers over the deadly fire (Picture: AP)
The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is about to publish its final report more than seven years after the blaze killed 72 people.
Hundreds more were left injured or homeless after the fire, and it’s hoped today’s report will identify failures which allowed the fire to spread the way it did.
It will focus on the actions of construction firms, the local council, London Fire Brigade, and the government more widely – and families of the victims say the conclusions must prompt widescale change.
What started as a kitchen fire in the early hours of June 14, 2017, rapidly spread throughout the entire block and engulfed it in flames within three hours.
A report published in 2019, following the first phase of the inquiry, concluded the ‘principal’ reason for the ‘profoundly shocking’ spread of the fire was due to the tower’s cladding which didn’t comply with building regulations.
Today’s report will conclude how the block of flats came to be in a condition which allowed the fire to spread so quickly.
Survivors and family members held up pictures of their loved ones who died in the fire following a memorial service (Picture: AP)
The tower still stands but is covered and hidden from view (Picture: AP)
A memorial wall remembers the victims (Picture: AP)
People accused the local authority of having blood on their hands (Picture: AP)
Families of the victims insist it must be a ‘landmark report’ following a ‘spider’s web of blame’ spun during inquiry hearings.
Antonio Roncolato, who survived the Grenfell Tower fire, told Sky News: ‘The truth came out at the inquiry, so I’m very curious to see what the judge has put down in the report.
‘I feel confident it’s going to be very thorough and he will have no problems pointing fingers at the people who were responsible.’
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The report’s findings could ramp up pressure on police and prosecutors to make speedier progress on getting people before the courts – something many bereaved and survivors have said must happen for justice to be served.
In May, the Metropolitan Police said their investigators need until the end of 2025 to finalise their inquiry, and prosecutors will then need a year to decide whether charges can be brought.
Bereaved and survivors have described that wait as ‘unbearable’.
Police and prosecutors said earlier this year the huge investigation into the fire has already generated 27,000 lines of inquiry and more than 12,000 witness statements.
A total of 58 individuals and 19 companies and organisations are under investigation for potential criminal offences, and more than 300 hours of interviews have taken place.
Potential offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, perverting the course of justice, misconduct in public office, health and safety offences, fraud and offences under the fire safety and building regulations.
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