LONDON (AP) 鈥� A damning report on a said Wednesday that decades of failures by government, regulators and industry turned into a 鈥渄eath trap鈥� where 72 people lost their lives.
The years-long public inquiry into the 2017 blaze concluded that there was no 鈥渟ingle cause鈥� of the tragedy, but said a combination of dishonest companies, weak or incompetent regulators and complacent government led the building to be covered in combustible cladding that turned a small apartment fire into the deadliest blaze on British soil since World War II.
The inquiry's head, retired judge Martin Moore-Bick, said the victims' deaths were all avoidable, and 鈥渢hose who lived in the tower were badly failed over a number of years" by multiple people and organizations.
鈥淎ll contributed to it in one way or another, in most cases through incompetence but in some cases through dishonesty and greed," he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologized on behalf of British state, saying the tragedy 鈥渟hould never have happened鈥� and promising the victims justice.
While the report may give survivors some of the answers they have long sought, they face a wait to see whether anyone responsible will be prosecuted. Police will examine the inquiry鈥檚 conclusions before deciding on charges.
Natasha Elcock, of Grenfell United, a group representing survivors and bereaved families, urged authorities to 鈥渄eliver justice and bring charges against those who are culpable for the deaths of our loved ones.鈥�
鈥淭oday鈥檚 report speaks to the lack of competence, understanding and fundamental failure to perform the most basic duties of care,鈥� said Elcock, a survivor of the fire who lost her uncle in the tragedy. 鈥淲e paid the price for systematic dishonesty, institutional indifference and neglect.鈥�
The fire broke out in the early hours of June 14, 2017, in a fourth-floor apartment and spread up the 25-story building like a lit fuse, fueled by flammable cladding panels on the tower鈥檚 exterior walls.
The tragedy horrified the nation and raised questions about lax safety regulations and other failings by officials and businesses that contributed to so many deaths.
鈥淗ow was it possible in 21st century London for a reinforced concrete building, itself structurally impervious to fire, to be turned into a death trap?鈥� asked the report.
It concluded: 鈥淭here is no simple answer to that question.鈥�
Grenfell Tower, built from concrete in the 1970s, had been covered during a refurbishment in the years before the fire with aluminum and polyethylene cladding 鈥� a layer of foam insulation topped by two sheets of aluminum sandwiched around a layer of polyethylene, a combustible plastic polymer that melts and drips on exposure to heat.
The report was highly critical of companies that made the building鈥檚 cladding. It said they engaged in 鈥渟ystematic dishonesty,鈥� manipulating safety tests and misrepresenting the results to claim the material was safe.
It said insulation manufacturer Celotex was unscrupulous, and another insulation firm, Kingspan, 鈥渃ynically exploited the industry鈥檚 lack of detailed knowledge.鈥� It said cladding panel maker Arconic 鈥渃oncealed from the market the true extent of the danger.鈥�
The combustible cladding was used on the building because it was cheap and because of 鈥渋ncompetence of the organizations and individuals involved in the refurbishment鈥� 鈥� including architects, engineers and contractors 鈥� all of whom thought safety was someone else鈥檚 responsibility, the report said.
The inquiry concluded the failures multiplied because bodies in charge of enforcing Britain鈥檚 building standards were weak, the local authority was uninterested and the 鈥渃omplacent鈥� Conservative-led U.K. government ignored safety warnings because of a commitment to deregulation.
The inquiry has held more than 300 public hearings and examined around 1,600 witness statements. An initial report published in 2019, looking at what happened the night of the fire, criticized the fire department for telling residents to stay in their apartments and await rescue. The advice was changed almost two hours after the fire broke out, too late for many on the upper floors to escape.
London Fire Brigade came in for further criticism for a 鈥渃hronic lack of effective management and leadership." The report said firefighters were not adequately trained to deal with a high-rise fire and were issued with old communications equipment that didn鈥檛 work properly.
The Grenfell tragedy prompted soul-searching about inequality in Britain. Grenfell was a public housing building set in one of London鈥檚 richest neighborhoods 鈥� a stones鈥� throw from the pricey boutiques and elegant houses of Notting Hill 鈥� and many victims were working-class people with immigrant roots. The victims came from 23 countries and included taxi drivers and architects, a poet, an acclaimed young artist, retirees and 18 children.
The report said the inquiry had 鈥渟een no evidence that any of the decisions that resulted in the creation of a dangerous building or the calamitous spread of fire were affected by racial or social prejudice.鈥�
In the wake of the fire, the U.K. government banned metal composite cladding panels for all new buildings and ordered similar combustible cladding to be removed from hundreds of tower blocks across the country. But it鈥檚 an expensive job and the work hasn鈥檛 been carried out on some apartment buildings because of wrangling over who should pay.
The report made multiple recommendations, including tougher fire safety rules, a national fire and rescue college and a single independent regulator for the construction industry to replace the current mishmash of bodies.
The ruined tower, which stood for months after the fire like a black tombstone on the west London skyline, still stands, now covered in white sheeting. A green heart and the words 鈥淕renfell forever in our hearts鈥� are emblazoned at the top.
Police are investigating dozens of individuals and companies and are considering charges, including corporate and individual manslaughter. But they say any prosecutions are unlikely to come before late 2026.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 pretend to imagine the impact of such a long police investigation on the bereaved and survivors, but we have one chance to get our investigation right,鈥� said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy of the Metropolitan Police.
Sandra Ruiz, whose 12-year-old niece, Jessica Urbano Ramirez, died in the fire, said that 鈥渇or me, there鈥檚 no justice without people going behind bars.鈥�
鈥淥ur lives were shattered on that night. People need to be held accountable,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople who have made decisions putting profit above people鈥檚 safety need to be behind bars.鈥�
___
Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Pan Pylas contributed to this story.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
