'It was inevitable': Warning before horror London unit block blaze
A chilling warning was recently issued about the potential for a catastrophic blaze to destroy the Grenfell tower apartment block, in west London, which is currently engulfed in flames.
A massive fire spread through the 27-storey building in Latimer Road, north Kensington about 12.54am, local time.
London Police have confirmed that six people have been killed in the blaze and more than 70 people are believed to be injured.
Authorities have said these number are due to rise.
The BBC’s Andy Moore said there were fears the building, which contains 120 apartments, may collapse.
The Greenfell Action Group, formed by the tower’s residents in 2010, predicted a tragedy was going to grip the tower and its residents due to dangerous living conditions, saying "it was inevitable".
“Unfortunately, the Grenfell Action Group have reached the conclusion that only an incident that results in serious loss of life of KCTMO residents will allow the external scrutiny to occur that will shine a light on the practices that characterise the malign governance of this non-functioning organisation,” the group’s blog read in November last year.
“The Grenfell Action Group predict that it won’t be long before the words of this blog come back to haunt the KCTMO management and we will do everything in our power to ensure that those in authority know how long and how appallingly our landlord has ignored their responsibility to ensure the heath and safety of their tenants and leaseholders.”
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In August 2014 a member of the group emailed the local fire brigade about fears the building was a potential firetrap due to new works.
“A number of residents of Grenfell Tower are very concerned at the fact that the new improvement works to Grenfell Tower have turned our building into a fire trap,” the email reads.
“There is only one entry and exit to the tower block itself and, in the event of a fire, the LFB could only gain access to the entrance to the building by climbing four flights of narrow stairs.
“On top of this the fire escape exit on the walkway level has now been sealed.
“Residents of Grenfell Tower do not have any confidence that our building has been satisfactorily assessed to cope with the new improvement works and we are seeking a meeting with the Chief Fire Officer from Kensington Fire Station so that these concerns can be addressed.”
The moderators of the blog said the Grenfell Tower blaze was “inevitable and just a matter of time”.
