On this day, 14 June 2017, a fire began in the Grenfell Tower block of flats in West London, which killed 72 people and destroyed 151 homes.
The fire began due to an electrical fault in a freezer, but it then spread rapidly. The main reason for the fast spread of the fire was the fact that flammable cladding was installed all around the building during its refurbishment by Rydon Construction at the behest of the Conservative local council in 2016. Zinc, more fire-resistant cladding was originally proposed for the work, but instead, flammable aluminium cladding was used because it was £300,000 cheaper.
For years, Grenfell’s residents, who were working-class social housing tenants, and mostly people of colour, had complained about inadequate fire safety measures in the building.
Rather than blame the landlord, developers or the Conservative government responsible for fire regulations, right-wing media like the Daily Mail began a campaign attempting to demonise residents of the building, and firefighters, for the deaths. Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg even blamed those killed for their own deaths, claiming that they lacked “common sense”.
However, a government-commissioned inquiry later determined that the flammable cladding was the primary reason for the high death toll, and that residents had followed the advice of emergency services.
After the fire, survivors of the disaster, as well as other local residents and supporters, began a campaign demanding justice for those killed, and working to ensure no such fire happens again in the UK.
More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/14644/grenfell-tower-fire
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