the.com/grenfell
a fridge fire that became a monument to every corner cut in a country's housing.
means the 2017 blaze in a west london tower block that killed 72 people after flammable cladding turned a small kitchen fire into an inferno.
from grenfell tower, a 1974 council high-rise in north kensington, had just been refurbished with aluminium composite cladding chosen partly for cost and appearance; the material was banned in some countries for exactly this reason.
death toll72 people died, many trapped by stay-put advice
cladding cost gapfire-resistant version would have cost roughly 5000 pounds more
warnings ignoredresidents raised fire safety concerns for years beforehand
inquiry lengthpublic inquiry ran seven years, ended 2024