London Police consider manslaughter charges over fatal Grenfell Tower fire
Posted June 23, 2017 6:41 am.
Last Updated June 23, 2017 6:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
London Police say manslaughter charges are among moves being considered over the Grenfell Tower fire that killed at least 79 people.
Metropolitan Police Detective Supt. Fiona McCormack says authorities are “looking at every health and safety and fire safety offence and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.”
McCormack also repeated calls for anyone with information on who might have been in the tower to come forward. The call comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s pledge to seek an amnesty for people who may have been living in the tower illegally.
“What we haven’t got is a picture of how many people might have been in there. That’s the number I’m really worried about,” McCormack said.
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The blaze started in a fridge freezer. Police said that insulation and tiles recovered from the building have failed fire safety tests.
Eleven buildings have now been identified as having combustible cladding such as that used on the Grenfell Tower. The cladding is being studied amid fears that the panels fueled the fire in the 24-story building that was engulfed in less than an hour.
Buildings in London, Manchester and Plymouth are among those where problem cladding has been identified.
Fears about cladding is not limited to apartment buildings, and at least one hotel chain is calling in experts to make certain it meets safety regulations. Premier Inn said Friday it had “concerns” about the material on some of its buildings, though it is different to the type used on Grenfell.
