It’s more than seven years since Grenfell Tower burned. Now, finally, a public inquiry has finished sifting through thousands of documents, evidence from hundreds of public hearings and more than 1,600 witness statements. And its conclusions could not be more clear: every one of the 72 deaths was avoidable.
The Guardian’s social affairs correspondent, Rob Booth, has reported on the tragedy from the beginning, speaking to victims and experts about what happened on that terrible night and what has happened since. He tells Helen Pidd about the shocking revelations of the inquiry and why the companies and individuals who have been named and shamed have yet to be held accountable.
For those who survived the tragedy, and for those whose loved ones perished, the inquiry is an important step in getting justice. Shah Aghlani, whose mother and aunt died, explains how the trauma has changed his life. Ed Daffran, who lived in Grenfell, predicted that a fire could happen there, and says he thinks this is what happens when profit is put ahead of lives. And survivor Tiago Alves explains how he is trying to honour the dead.
Now the survivors are calling for criminal prosecutions. Rob explains why this is taking so long and, with dangerous cladding still on so many buildings, what is being done to prevent another tragedy.
• This podcast was amended on 6 September 2024. The fire started just before 1am, not just before midnight. Ed Daffarn made his prediction of a fire in November 2016, 8 months before the fire, not 6 months. It was also amended to clarify that Tiago Alves did not lose any family members in the fire and that it was Grenfell next of kin who felt the inquiry was getting in the way of justice, not Grenfell United.
