Grenfell Tower fire that killed at least 79 started in refrigerator

by Dramelin 6:30 AM 0 comments

LONDON — British police on Friday confirmed that the cause of the blaze in the high-rise in London that killed at least 79 people a little more than a week ago was a refrigerator and said that the building`s insulation and exterior tiles failed fire safety tests.
The disaster is the deadliest fire in mainland Britain since the start of the 20th century.
Police confirmed the fire was not started deliberately but said manslaughter charges were among those being considered by police.
Residents of the 24-storey Grenfell Tower in west London complained for years to the building`s managers that they feared it was a firetrap and investigators believe that the building`s exterior cladding allowed the fire to spread extremely quickly.
  Fiona McCormack, the police officer overseeing the investigation, said in a statement the fire started in a fridge freezer.
The make/model is a Hotpoint FF175BP, although she did not elaborate on the circumstances that caused the fridge to catch fire.
  The British media have been reporting that the faulty fridge belonged to a taxi driver originally from Ethiopia who tried to alert neighbors there was a fire in his kitchen.
McCormack said authorities were "looking at every health and safety and fire safety offense and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.
" In total, 11 buildings across the United Kingdom have now been identified as having combustible cladding similar to that used on the Grenfell Tower that investigators believe may have allowed the building to be engulfed in less than an hour.
Authorities are still examining dozens more buildings in London, Manchester and other large cities.
  McCormack also asked for more people who were living in the building to come forward to speak with police.
"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.
"  About 600 people were thought to be officially living in the building at the time of the fire, but investigators are concerned that a number of people may have been staying there illegally, including recent immigrants and refugees.
  London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for an amnesty for people who may have been living in the tower illegally.
Some have been reluctant to come forward over fears they could be deported, although McCormack said the "priority is to understand who was in Grenfell Tower.
We are not interested in people`s reasons for being in Grenfell Tower.
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