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Probe into London tower fire starts examining cause
LONDON, June 4, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An inquiry into London’s Grenfell Tower
fire will begin hearing evidence into its cause on Monday, following a week
of poignant testimony from relatives of the 2017 disaster’s 71 victims.
The public probe is set to examine five newly published expert reports
detailing how the inferno started, why it spread so quickly and the
effectiveness of the fire protection measures in the 24-storey building.
A submission from Harley Facades, the firm that installed exterior
cladding on the tower, will also be read, according to a provisional
schedule.
It is suspected the cladding installed during a recent refurbishment
helped spread the blaze.
Seventy-one people including a pregnant woman died in the fire of June 14,
2017, which was caused by a faulty fridge and devastated the residential
block in west London in the early hours of the morning.
Grenfell United, the main body for survivors and bereaved families, said
Monday marked “the beginning of a long road to justice” for those affected by
the tragedy.
“It is going to be difficult to see some organisations trying to defend
their actions,” it added in a statement.
“But we have trust that as the evidence emerges over the coming months,
this inquiry will reveal the truth about how our community was treated
before, during and after the fire.”
With feelings still raw about the disaster and the way it was handled, the
independent inquiry opened last month with seven days of emotive statements
from relatives of those who died.
It will take evidence in two phases, with the first fact-finding stage
focusing on the sequence of events, before the remainder of the issues are
addressed later in the year.
Martin Moore-Bick, the chairman of the inquiry, vowed to provide answers
to victims’ families as the tributes ended last week.
“As we move to the next stage of the inquiry, my team and I are determined
to provide the answers that you seek,” he said.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1413 hrs