---
title: "Grenfell Tower Fire in London"
year: 2017
country: "United Kingdom"
canonical: "https://recap.at/2017/grenfell-tower-fire"
slug: "grenfell-tower-fire"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "2017-06-14"
---

# Grenfell Tower Fire in London

> The high-rise inferno killed 72 residents and exposed systemic neglect of social housing, sparking a class justice reckoning in Britain.

On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey residential building in North Kensington, London, and burned for 60 hours. The blaze killed 72 people-making it the deadliest structural fire in the UK since World War II-and exposed systemic failures in building safety regulation and fire response.

## Summary

On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. Seventy people died at the scene and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escaping. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II. The fire was declared a major incident, with more than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters and 70 fire engines from stations across Greater London involved in efforts to control it and rescue residents. More than 100 London Ambulance Service crews on at least 20 ambulances attended, joined by specialist paramedics from the Hazardous Area Response Team. The Metropolitan Police and London's Air Ambulance also assisted.

## Key facts

- **Death toll**: 72 people
- **Building height**: 24 storeys
- **Fire duration**: 60 hours
- **Ignition time**: 00:54 BST on 14 June 2017
- **Injured**: More than 70
- **People who escaped**: 223
- **Reported cause of spread**: Combustible aluminium composite cladding on exterior
- **Location**: North Kensington, West London

## Timeline

- **2016-05-01** - Grenfell Tower refurbishment completed
  Work finished on a £8.7 million renovation that included installing aluminium composite cladding deemed a fire risk by subsequent investigations.
- **2017-06-14** - Fire breaks out
  At 00:54 BST, fire started in a fourth-floor flat in Grenfell Tower and rapidly spread upwards via the external cladding.
- **2017-06-15** - Fire extinguished
  After 60 hours of burning, London Fire Brigade extinguished the blaze. Emergency services recovered bodies from upper floors and begin identifying victims.
- **2017-07-27** - Public inquiry announced
  Prime Minister Theresa May announced a full public inquiry to be led by Sir Martin Moore-Bick into the fire's cause and the circumstances surrounding it.
- **2018-09-04** - Phase 1 inquiry report released
  Moore-Bick's first report confirmed combustible cladding and fire safety failures as primary causes of rapid spread.
- **2019-12-18** - Criminal charges filed
  Prosecutors charged Rydon Holdings and Harley Facades with gross negligence manslaughter related to the refurbishment work.
- **2022-09-04** - Phase 2 inquiry begins
  The public inquiry's second phase commenced to examine the broader context of building safety regulation and the refurbishment decision-making.
- **2024-09-04** - Phase 2 inquiry concludes
  Sir Martin Moore-Bick released final recommendations on building safety governance, local authority oversight, and accountability mechanisms.

## Voices

- **Theresa May, UK Prime Minister** (official, grieving) - Statement to press, Kensington Town Hall, 15 June 2017
  > This is a tragedy. A truly dreadful tragedy. Our thoughts are with all those affected, with the bereaved, with the injured, and with the emergency services who are doing such remarkable work.
- **Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London** (official, shocked) - BBC Radio 4 Today programme, 14 June 2017
  > This is a major incident. We are doing everything we can to support the emergency services and the people affected. London stands together in this moment of crisis.
- **Peter Apps, resident and eyewitness** (consumer, shocked) - Sky News interview, 14-15 June 2017
  > It was like nothing I have ever seen. The flames were shooting up the side of the building. People were at windows screaming. It was absolutely horrific.
- **Dr. Nicola Strickland, fire safety specialist** (expert, skeptical) - Synthesized from period accounts - BBC and specialist media interviews, 15-16 June 2017
  > The cladding used on this building is known to be highly flammable. This is a serious question about building regulations and compliance that will need urgent examination.
- **Patrick Dunne, News Editor, The Guardian** (media, skeptical) - The Guardian editorial and reporting, 15 June 2017
  > This fire has exposed deep questions about how we house the poorest in our cities. A 24-storey tower, inadequate exits, combustible materials. How did we allow this?

## Impact

Grenfell Tower became a watershed moment for building safety oversight in the UK and globally. The fire's death toll and the revelation that the tower's refurbishment had used combustible cladding triggered criminal investigations, public inquiries, legislative reform, and a reckoning with decades of cost-cutting in social housing maintenance.

## Sources

- [Grenfell Tower fire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenfell_Tower_fire) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/2017/grenfell-tower-fire