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| Theresa May Is Heckled as London Fire’s Death Toll Rises to 30 | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — Anger about the government’s handling of Britain’s worst building fire in decades surged on Friday, as Londoners heckled Prime Minister Theresa May and stormed the headquarters of a local council to protest what they saw as a slow and inadequate response. | |
| Mrs. May, whose Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament last week, is facing one of the biggest crises of her tenure, as Britons have raised questions about safety procedures and construction safety after a fire that incinerated a 24-story apartment tower in West London. | |
| The official death toll rose to 30 on Friday, but authorities said it could easily reach 70. They also made a grim admission: A full accounting might be impossible because some victims may never be identified. | |
| Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson Prince William visited a sports center on Friday that had been turned into a place of grieving and support for victims of the fire and their families. | |
| Mrs. May, who had been criticized for meeting with rescue workers but not with victims, returned to the area where the fire took place, and announced a £5 million ($6.4 million) fund to pay for emergency supplies, food, clothes and other costs. | |
| The fire left the building, Grenfell Tower, a charred ruin, and has left hundreds of people homeless. Mrs. May, who also visited survivors of the fire at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said in a statement that she was horrified by their plight — her most emotional statement on the fire to date. | |
| “I spoke with people who ran from the fire in only the clothes they were wearing,” Mrs. May said. “They have been left with nothing — no bank cards, no money, no means of caring for their children or relatives. One woman told me she had escaped in only her top and underwear.” | |
| A former home secretary, responsible for policing and domestic security, Mrs. May added: | |
| “Everyone affected by this tragedy needs reassurance that the government is there for them at this terrible time — and that is what I am determined to provide.” | |
| Not everyone was mollified by the announcement. Outside St. Clement’s Church, where Mrs. May made her announcement, angry residents shouted “Coward!” and heckled Mrs. May. | |
| Nearby, dozens of angry residents entered the Town Hall of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which owns Grenfell Tower, to request a meeting with officials and to present a list of demands. The demonstration was not violent, but it was loud and tense, with many protesters shouting “Not 17,” a reference to an earlier death toll that everyone agrees is far too low. | |
| The demands included the relocation of dislocated residents within the borough, which is one of the most affluent in London but also contains extensive areas of housing for people of modest means; the immediate release of financial aid for victims and their families who have lost their belongings; and a complete roster — or at least the number — of the residents in the tower. | |
| In response, the council said that it would do its best to relocate displaced residents, possibly in other parts of London; that it had already released funds, and appealed to the public to identify anyone not getting prompt help; and that it was up to the coroner to release names and numbers of victims. The demonstrators said they were not satisfied. | |
| “I’m here to get some answers,” said one protester, Kais Khaldoun, 22, a telecommunications student, who lives in the Ladbroke Grove section of London. “Kensington is one of the richest areas, how did they allow this negligence — how did they allow this tragedy to happen when it could have easily been avoided?” | |
| Ayyub Kenouche, 20, a biomedical sciences student, also from Ladbroke Grove, said that officials should accept responsibility for a “stay put” policy, which urged residents to stay indoors in the event of a fire. | |
| The death toll has steadily climbed: 6, 12, 17 and now 30. The police said the number would continue to rise, and also announced that they were opening a criminal investigation. | |
| “Sadly, we may not be able to identify everybody,” said Stuart Cundy, a Metropolitan Police commander, who expressed his hope — “from a personal perspective,” he emphasized — that the death toll would not climb above 100. | “Sadly, we may not be able to identify everybody,” said Stuart Cundy, a Metropolitan Police commander, who expressed his hope — “from a personal perspective,” he emphasized — that the death toll would not climb above 100. |
| At an afternoon news conference, he said that the flames had at last been extinguished, but that the charred, ruined Grenfell Tower remained in a hazardous state and that it would be a long, painstaking task to sweep the building for remains. | At an afternoon news conference, he said that the flames had at last been extinguished, but that the charred, ruined Grenfell Tower remained in a hazardous state and that it would be a long, painstaking task to sweep the building for remains. |
| As of Friday morning, 24 patients remained in four hospitals, 12 in critical condition. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for. | As of Friday morning, 24 patients remained in four hospitals, 12 in critical condition. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for. |
| The police said they were using dental records, fingerprints and DNA samples to identify victims, along with telltale features such as tattoos, scars, jewelry or distinctive clothing. But Commander Cundy said the intensity of the fire made the task of identifying victims slow and arduous at best: Some bodies were likely to be burned beyond recognition, if not reduced to ash. | The police said they were using dental records, fingerprints and DNA samples to identify victims, along with telltale features such as tattoos, scars, jewelry or distinctive clothing. But Commander Cundy said the intensity of the fire made the task of identifying victims slow and arduous at best: Some bodies were likely to be burned beyond recognition, if not reduced to ash. |
| Many traumatized relatives have turned to social media for help finding missing loved ones. Others have pasted desperate pleas and photographs on walls around the area. | Many traumatized relatives have turned to social media for help finding missing loved ones. Others have pasted desperate pleas and photographs on walls around the area. |
| Noha Baghdady, whose brother is missing, wrote on Facebook: “Another night without any confirmed information. We are emotionally exhausted, drained & our heart is broken. I’m not going to give up hope, please continue to share my brothers details... Hesham Rahman Age, 57 DOB: 30 January 1960 20th Floor Grenfell Tower Flat 204.” | Noha Baghdady, whose brother is missing, wrote on Facebook: “Another night without any confirmed information. We are emotionally exhausted, drained & our heart is broken. I’m not going to give up hope, please continue to share my brothers details... Hesham Rahman Age, 57 DOB: 30 January 1960 20th Floor Grenfell Tower Flat 204.” |
| Other notices show smiling women in hijabs, a black man with dreadlocks, young children and happy families, befitting a predominantly working-class building whose multicultural makeup reflected its city and neighborhood. | Other notices show smiling women in hijabs, a black man with dreadlocks, young children and happy families, befitting a predominantly working-class building whose multicultural makeup reflected its city and neighborhood. |
| As the demand for answers grew, Mrs. May announced an inquiry into the tragedy, and the police said they were opening a criminal investigation, evidently to determine if negligence had led to the lethal blaze. | As the demand for answers grew, Mrs. May announced an inquiry into the tragedy, and the police said they were opening a criminal investigation, evidently to determine if negligence had led to the lethal blaze. |
| Among the questions being asked are whether the owner of the building took any shortcuts in its use of construction materials, including the installation of external cladding, part of a renovation completed last year, that may have accelerated the fire’s spread: It took only 15 minutes to take hold across the tower block. | Among the questions being asked are whether the owner of the building took any shortcuts in its use of construction materials, including the installation of external cladding, part of a renovation completed last year, that may have accelerated the fire’s spread: It took only 15 minutes to take hold across the tower block. |
| The building is owned by the local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization, a company that runs nearly 10,000 properties, including several large tower blocks and parking lots, on behalf of the borough. These include the Adair Tower, a 14-story apartment that was set afire in an arson attack in October 2015. | The building is owned by the local council, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organization, a company that runs nearly 10,000 properties, including several large tower blocks and parking lots, on behalf of the borough. These include the Adair Tower, a 14-story apartment that was set afire in an arson attack in October 2015. |
| Rydon, the lead contractor on the renovation, has said that it complied with all the necessary fire and safety regulations. | Rydon, the lead contractor on the renovation, has said that it complied with all the necessary fire and safety regulations. |
| Ray Bailey, the managing director of Harley Facades, the subcontractor that installed the cladding, has said it was fully cooperating with investigations into the fire, and would not speculate on the causes. | Ray Bailey, the managing director of Harley Facades, the subcontractor that installed the cladding, has said it was fully cooperating with investigations into the fire, and would not speculate on the causes. |
| The aluminum cladding is available in several varieties. These include one with a fire-retardant mineral core and another, cheaper version with a core of less fire-resistant material. The speed with which the fire swept through Grenfell Tower has raised questions about whether the latter may have been used. | The aluminum cladding is available in several varieties. These include one with a fire-retardant mineral core and another, cheaper version with a core of less fire-resistant material. The speed with which the fire swept through Grenfell Tower has raised questions about whether the latter may have been used. |
| Brian J. Meacham, associate professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, said that in the United States, any type of combustible material used in buildings taller than 40 feet generally needed to fire-tested before it could be used on building exteriors, including metal cladding panels. In contrast, he said, building codes in Britain put a lot of the onus on engineers to comply with nonmandatory guidelines on sprinkler systems, alarms and fire exits. | Brian J. Meacham, associate professor of fire protection engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, said that in the United States, any type of combustible material used in buildings taller than 40 feet generally needed to fire-tested before it could be used on building exteriors, including metal cladding panels. In contrast, he said, building codes in Britain put a lot of the onus on engineers to comply with nonmandatory guidelines on sprinkler systems, alarms and fire exits. |
| Politicians from all sides are also demanding to know why recommendations made by an inquiry after a deadly fire at a Southeast London apartment building in 2009 — including a call to install sprinklers in tower blocks — have gone unheeded. Grenfell Tower was completed in 1974, and there is no legal requirement to retrofit older high rises with sprinklers. | Politicians from all sides are also demanding to know why recommendations made by an inquiry after a deadly fire at a Southeast London apartment building in 2009 — including a call to install sprinklers in tower blocks — have gone unheeded. Grenfell Tower was completed in 1974, and there is no legal requirement to retrofit older high rises with sprinklers. |
| Grenfell Tower had no central alarm system or sprinkler system, and only a single internal staircase led outside, provoking questions about whether enough safety measures were in place. | Grenfell Tower had no central alarm system or sprinkler system, and only a single internal staircase led outside, provoking questions about whether enough safety measures were in place. |
| The fire is also prompting an examination of Grenfell Tower’s so-called stay put policy, which called for residents to remain in their apartments if a fire broke out elsewhere in the building. The policy, which firefighters say reflected standard practice in high rises across Britain, may nevertheless have hindered some residents from escaping. | The fire is also prompting an examination of Grenfell Tower’s so-called stay put policy, which called for residents to remain in their apartments if a fire broke out elsewhere in the building. The policy, which firefighters say reflected standard practice in high rises across Britain, may nevertheless have hindered some residents from escaping. |
| Darren Baird, owner of Total Fire Services, a fire safety consultancy in Manchester, England, said the “stay put” policy was decades old, and the basis was that individual apartments were built to withstand a fire for at least 60 minutes. But if a building was altered or refurbished, he said — as Grenfell Tower had been — then the policy needed reviewing to check whether it still applied. | Darren Baird, owner of Total Fire Services, a fire safety consultancy in Manchester, England, said the “stay put” policy was decades old, and the basis was that individual apartments were built to withstand a fire for at least 60 minutes. But if a building was altered or refurbished, he said — as Grenfell Tower had been — then the policy needed reviewing to check whether it still applied. |
| The fire has presented a political challenge for Mrs. May, who was already struggling after her Conservative Party failed to gain a majority in parliamentary elections last week. Britain has seen three deadly terrorist attacks since March, all claimed by the Islamic State. | The fire has presented a political challenge for Mrs. May, who was already struggling after her Conservative Party failed to gain a majority in parliamentary elections last week. Britain has seen three deadly terrorist attacks since March, all claimed by the Islamic State. |
| Mrs. May, who served for six years as home secretary, the cabinet minister responsible for policing and domestic security, has pledged to find answers for the fire’s victims. But critics have accused her of failing to show enough empathy: She was chastised for not meeting survivors during a visit to the area on Thursday. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, the populist leftist Jeremy Corbyn, was seen commiserating with families. | Mrs. May, who served for six years as home secretary, the cabinet minister responsible for policing and domestic security, has pledged to find answers for the fire’s victims. But critics have accused her of failing to show enough empathy: She was chastised for not meeting survivors during a visit to the area on Thursday. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, the populist leftist Jeremy Corbyn, was seen commiserating with families. |
| On Thursday, Mrs. May ordered a full public inquiry and met with fire and police officials, which her aides said reflected her resolute desire to get to the bottom of what happened. Government officials have also promised to provide housing for displaced residents of Grenfell Tower. | On Thursday, Mrs. May ordered a full public inquiry and met with fire and police officials, which her aides said reflected her resolute desire to get to the bottom of what happened. Government officials have also promised to provide housing for displaced residents of Grenfell Tower. |
| But Michael Portillo, a former cabinet minister from Mrs. May’s Conservative Party, said the prime minister had failed to “use her humanity” when she visited the scene of the fire. Harriet Harman, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party who represents a South London district in Parliament, urged Mrs. May to make amends by inviting survivors of the fire to 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s office and residence. | But Michael Portillo, a former cabinet minister from Mrs. May’s Conservative Party, said the prime minister had failed to “use her humanity” when she visited the scene of the fire. Harriet Harman, a former deputy leader of the Labour Party who represents a South London district in Parliament, urged Mrs. May to make amends by inviting survivors of the fire to 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s office and residence. |