 Grenfell Tower two days after the fire broke out | |
  Grenfell Tower Grenfell Tower's location within the Kensington and Chelsea borough  Grenfell Tower Grenfell Tower's location within London  Grenfell Tower Grenfell Tower's location within the United Kingdom | |
| Date | 14 June 2017 |
|---|---|
| Time | 00:54 BST (first emergency call) |
| Duration | 24 hours (under control) Over 60 hours (fully extinguished) |
| Location | Grenfell Tower, North Kensington, London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | |
| Type | Structure fire |
| Cause | Electrical fault in a refrigerator; spread of fire largely exacerbated by flammable exterior cladding on the building[1] |
| Outcome |
|
| Deaths | 72 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 74 hospitalised |
| Property damage | £200 million – £1 billion (estimated)[2] |
| Inquiries | Public inquiry hearings opened 14 September 2017 |
| Inquest | Open for all 72 victims; pending police investigation and public inquiry |
| Arrests | 6 |
| Website | www |
| Grenfell Tower, the fire, and its aftermath |
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On 14 June 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, at 00:54 BST; it caused 72 deaths, including those of two victims who later died in hospital. More than 70 others were injured and 223 people escaped. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War.
The fire is currently being investigated by the police, a public inquiry, and coroner's inquests. Among the issues being investigated are the management of the building by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea TMO (Tenant Management Organisation, which was responsible for the borough's council housing) and the responses of London Fire Brigade, the council and other government agencies. In the aftermath of the fire, the council's leader, deputy leader and chief executive resigned, and the council took direct control of council housing from the TMO. The national government commissioned an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which published a report in May 2018. Across the UK and in some other countries, local governments have investigated other tower blocks to find others that have similar cladding. Efforts to replace the cladding on these buildings are ongoing.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the exterior did not comply with building regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread, and that the fire service were too late in advising residents to evacuate. A second phase to investigate the broader causes will begin in 2020.
- ^ "LATEST: Grenfell Tower fire investigation". Mynewsdesk. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ "Insurance cost of Grenfell Tower fire". 22 June 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2019.