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London fire: A visual guide to what happened at Grenfell Tower Grenfell Tower: What happened
(5 months later)
Seventy one people died after a huge fire engulfed Grenfell Tower - a 27-storey tower block in West London. Some residents of the north Kensington building escaped as the fire took hold on 14 June, while others were trapped inside. The fire which destroyed Grenfell Tower in June 2017 was one of the UK's worst modern disasters.
Here's a visual guide to what happened that night. Just before 01:00 on 14 June, fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat at the 23 storey tower block in North Kensington, West London.
The blaze took hold quickly Within minutes, the fire had raced up the exterior of the building and then spread to all four sides. By 03:00, most of the upper floors were well alight.
Emergency services were called to the fire at the block of flats in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea just before 01:00 BST on Wednesday 14 June. It is believed to have started on the fourth floor and spread quickly. Seventy-two people died. Here is how events unfolded that night.
A total of 65 people were rescued from the building by firefighters. Some residents appear to have moved up the building to escape the flames, only to become trapped in flats of friends and neighbours on the upper floors. Twenty one people died on the top floor of the tower block. How the fire started
The blaze was not brought under control until 01:14 BST on Thursday - 24 hours later. The fire began "in or around" a Hotpoint fridge-freezer in flat 16 on the fourth floor, according to a provisional report by Dr Niamh Nic Daéid, director of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science at Dundee University.
The building was left in ruin Her report contains extracts from a witness statement by flat occupant Behailu Kebede, who described being woken by the sound of a smoke alarm.
The tower, part of the Lancaster West Estate, a social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes in West London, was left extensively damaged. He went into the kitchen and saw smoke in the area of the fridge-freezer and near the kitchen window.
All four facades were affected and 22 apartments in nearby Grenfell Walk were also destroyed, the council said. Mr Kebede immediately called the fire brigade, which logged the call at 00:54. Four fire engines were sent to the scene, the first arriving at 00:59.
The first fire crew entered the flat at 01:07 - an approximate timing taken from a thermal imaging camera. They initially searched the bedrooms and did not enter the kitchen until 01:14.
In the kitchen, firefighter Daniel Brown described seeing an "isolated curtain of flame from about 2-3 feet in the air to the ceiling".
Thermal images captured by the fire crew appear to show that "hot fire gases and flames had spread across the window space".
As the fire crew dealt with the fire in the fridge-freezer, their thermal images also appear to show falling embers outside the kitchen window.
Mobile phone images taken by Mr Kebede from outside Grenfell Tower approximately 11 minutes after his first 999 call show an orange glow of flames around the kitchen window, and later a fire burning more intensely in the area of the window filler panel and extractor fan.
Subsequent photos by Mr Kebede suggest that the "fire was continuing to develop and grow", Dr Nic Daéid reports, by 01:09 becoming "external to the building".
Although the timings provided are approximate, it appears that the fire had spread to the cladding before the firefighters had entered the kitchen.
Dr Nic Daéid's provisional report also identifies "unknown materials" stored between the freezer and wall which "may have become involved in the fire in the early stages of its development".
Among these materials was an item described as an "electric cooking device" or "large hot plate".
In another report, fire expert Professor Luke Bisby expressed his view that the likely reason for the fire spreading beyond the kitchen was that flame and hot gases penetrated the internal window frame.
How the fire spread
From the fourth floor, the fire spread rapidly upwards and across the eastern side of the building. From there, it spread across the north face of the tower.
Mobile phone videos show the blaze reaching the top floor on the east side of Grenfell Tower by about 01:26, less than 30 minutes after firefighters had arrived.
In a report to the Grenfell Public Inquiry, fire safety engineer Dr Barbara Lane identified the fire spreading vertically up the tower columns, and "laterally along the cladding above and below the window lines (and) the panels between windows."
The fire had spread to the north side of the tower by 01:42, Dr Lane recorded.
At 01:52, the fire also began travelling across the eastern side towards the south in the other direction.
At 02:06, London Fire Brigade declared the fire a "major incident". At this point, some 40 fire engines were either at or en route to the scene.
Grenfell Tower had a 'stay put' fire policy - essentially, the building design would contain a fire in a single flat for as long as it took fire crews to bring it under control.
So on the night, many residents were told to remain in their flats by the emergency services, only to become trapped as the fire blazed out of control and thick poisonous smoke spread up the single narrow stairwell.
Dr Lane said that the stay put policy had "substantially failed" by 01:26 - less than 30 minutes after the first firefighters were at the scene.
Some people people ignored the stay put advice and made it down the stairs to safety.
A total of 65 people were rescued from the building by firefighters.
But in desperation, other residents went upwards and sought refuge in flats of friends and neighbours on the upper floors. Twenty-four people died on the top floor of the tower block.
By 02:10, multiple internal fires could be seen burning inside the building.
At 02:22 fire had spread to the south side of the tower and by 02:30 it was reported that the eastern side of the building was "fully involved in fire".
The stay put advice was finally abandoned at 02:47, when the incident commander gave the order to "advise people to make efforts to leave the building."
By 02:51, the fire had reached the western side. At this point, some 63 flats were on fire and more than 100 people remained in the building.
At 04:30 the whole building was engulfed, with more than 100 flats on fire.
The blaze did not burn itself out until 01:14 BST on Thursday - 24 hours later.
What caused the fire to spread so quickly?
The most significant part of the renovation of Grenfell Tower was the addition of external cladding. This consisted of aluminium sheets bonded to a central plastic (polyethylene) core.
A series of tests have shown that this cladding, and the insulation behind it, was extremely flammable in certain circumstances.
In his report to the public inquiry, Professor Luke Bisby said evidence "strongly supports" the theory that the polyethylene material in the cladding was the primary cause of the fire's spread.
"The ACM (aluminium composite material) product on Grenfell Tower incorporates a highly combustible polyethylene polymer filler which melts, drips, and flows at elevated temperature. The polyethylene filler material is expected to release large amounts of energy during combustion".
His report also suggests that vertical cavities within the cladding structure played a role in the spread of the fire, as did the insulation, although evidence was inconclusive.
Who were the victims?
The final death toll from the blaze is now recorded as 72 people.
They include six members of the Choucair Family and five members of the Hashim Family, who lived on the 22nd floor.
Five members of the El-Wahabi family died on the 21st floor.
The youngest victim was six-month old baby Leena Belkadi, who died in her mother's arms as she tried to escape.
Other young victims include Jeremiah Deen, 2, Isaac Paulos, 5, Hania Hassan, 5, and her sister Fethia, 3, and twelve-year olds Biruk Haftom and Jessica Urbano-Ramirez.
The oldest victim is believed to be 84-year-old Sheila from the 16th floor, who had lived in Grenfell Tower for 34 years.
Baby Logan Gomes, who was stillborn in hospital on 14 June the morning after the fire, is also included in the toll.
The final victim was Maria Del Pilar Burton, who suffered from serious long-term health issues, and died in hospital in January 2018.
What kind of building was Grenfell Tower?
Grenfell Tower was part of the Lancaster West Estate, a social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes.
The tower was built in the 1970s, but recently renovated.
An £8.6m refurbishment - part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction in May 2016.
Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.
The bottom four floors were also remodelled, creating seven additional homes and improvements to communal facilities.
There were 129 flats across 21 residential floors and three levels of mixed use.
The tower was managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.
How is the fire and its causes being investigated?
Specially trained officers from the Met, City of London Police and British Transport Police have been involved in the search and recovery operation, thoroughly searching every single flat on every single floor.Specially trained officers from the Met, City of London Police and British Transport Police have been involved in the search and recovery operation, thoroughly searching every single flat on every single floor.
Officers have examined 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor, helped by forensic anthropologists, archaeologists and forensic dentists or odontologists.Officers have examined 15.5 tonnes of debris on each floor, helped by forensic anthropologists, archaeologists and forensic dentists or odontologists.
A public inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May, is under way.A public inquiry, ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May, is under way.
Lawyers representing survivors and relatives of the victims began giving evidence to the public inquiry into the tragedy on Monday 11 December. Lawyers representing survivors and relatives of the victims began giving evidence to the public inquiry into the tragedy on Monday 11 December 2017.
The Metropolitan Police are looking into offences including manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, misconduct in public office and breaches of fire safety regulations in relation to the fire, the inquiry has been told.The Metropolitan Police are looking into offences including manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, misconduct in public office and breaches of fire safety regulations in relation to the fire, the inquiry has been told.
The force has already gathered 31 million documents and 2,500 physical exhibits. Some 1,144 witnesses have given statements and 383 companies are part of the investigation.The force has already gathered 31 million documents and 2,500 physical exhibits. Some 1,144 witnesses have given statements and 383 companies are part of the investigation.
The public inquiry plans to deliver an interim report into the fire's causes and the emergency response by next autumn.The public inquiry plans to deliver an interim report into the fire's causes and the emergency response by next autumn.
There are many victims
Seventy one victims of the Grenfell Tower fire have been formally identified and police believe that all those who died have now been recovered.
The victims include baby Logan Gomes, who was stillborn in hospital on 14 June, the day the 24-storey blaze broke out.
The final two victims formally identified were Victoria King and her daughter Alexandra Atala.
The Met Police said they were providing "every support we can" to the bereaved.
More from the BBC
This is the story of some of those who were in the fire, told through friends and family who were in touch with them during those desperate hours, and in the words of those who survived.
Messages from the Tower
The tower was built in the 1970s, but recently renovated
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.
An £8.6m refurbishment - part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction in May last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.
The bottom four floors were also remodelled, creating seven additional homes and improvements to communal facilities.
There are now 129 flats across 21 residential floors and three levels of mixed use.
The tower was managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.
Newly-installed cladding is being scrutinised
Fire safety experts have pointed to cladding on the building as a possible reason the blaze spread so quickly.
Footage has shown the fire travelling up one side of the building, before engulfing the entire block.
New cladding was fitted as part of a £8.6m refurbishment of the tower, completed in May last year.
The cladding had a metal outer coating and an expanded foam interior. This polyethylene - or plastic - core is less fireproof than other alternatives.
However, even this type of cladding - when properly fitted and with its polyethylene insulation expertly encapsulated - should resist fire, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), the UK's national fire safety organisation, said.
Some exterior cladding can create cavities which, in some cases, can cause what's known as "a chimney effect", drawing flames up the cavity if there are no fire barriers.
Ray Bailey, managing director at Harley Facades Limited, which installed the cladding, said: "At this time, we are not aware of any link between the fire and the exterior cladding to the tower."
Rydon, the contractor responsible for the renovation of the tower, said its work "met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards".
It later issued a new statement, removing the previous mention of the building meeting fire regulation standards, instead saying the project met "all required building regulations".
The tower is in an area with a big gap between rich and poor
In the aftermath of the fire, residents told the BBC how they felt ignored by the authorities and pushed out by affluent outsiders.
Anger over the response to the disaster has led many residents to protest and to call for greater representation at the ongoing public enquiry.
Michael Mansfield QC, representing some of the 71 victims, said there was a feeling that "those people most affected have not been included" in the process.
Kensington and Chelsea is one of the richest areas in the country.
The average salary is £123,000: the highest in the UK. But the median average - the midpoint of all salaries in the area - is £32,700.
No other local authority in the country has such a large gap between these two averages, pointing to a huge contrast between high and low earners.
There is a similarly large gap when measuring the total income for people in the area. The average is £158,000, but the median is £38,700. Again, no other local authority in the UK reports such a difference.
Data sources: Department for Communities and Local Government, the Office for National Statistics, and Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs.