Sorry for the delay in getting to this. After a terrorist attack, even a bombing, some items like fragments of ID, clothing, phones and (sorry) bits of people survive. Certainly dental ID is usually possible too, helped by the fact that bits of bodies remain.
In a major fire which burns unchecked, the heat at its centre(s) can reach over 900 degrees centigrade. At this temperature nothing survives: add in a very large building with lots of contents and itâs a case of finely sifting through vast mountains of ash to find tiny pieces of evidence. Throw in the fact that in some cases the identity of certain people in the building was not known (unofficial sub tenants, some apparently without the right to be in UK, visitors, etc) and you are left with a horrific and painstaking task.
Ultimately they may never formally find evidence of some people who are missing. Donât let conspiracy theories get in the way of the facts arising from an intense, horribly destructive fire.
If itâs good enough for the residents themselves to speculate on the actual death toll, I think it fair game for the rest of the country. I expect this matter to be resolved relatively quickly now that Paget-Brown and his band of arse-coverers have done the offs.
According to a firefighter friend of my dad, they were knee deep in ashes in some of the flats and were collecting anything solid (artificial hip for eg) in order to try and identify any victims. He reckons the toll will never truly be known.
Fucking right too. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing the other day when the scope of the inquiry was announced. How the fire started, how the fire spread, all questions we largely already know the answer to. There was also an upfront disclaimer that residents may not be satisfied with the findings. Fucking whitewash, start to finish.
Those affected by the Grenfell tower fire might boycott the inquiry into the disaster if the proposed scope is not widened, campaigners have said.
Sir Martin Moore-Bick, who will lead the investigation, had previously said he was âdoubtfulâ the investigation would be far-reaching enough to satisfy those who survived the blaze.
The current proposals are for the inquiry to look at how the fire started and how it developed so rapidly, but calls have been made for the investigation to be broadened.
2 fire engines turned up about an hour ago. They came to check the building next to us and not for a fire. Phew. The one next to us is Housing Association. Our block is mainly private but there is also a floor of social housing too.
Theyâve checked all the access to water. It works. Both the buildings were built by same builder and I earwigged a bit and it appears the cladding isnât safe on either building. Our building isnât completely clad but our balconies are and inbetween windows.
There is no override on the buildings door for the firemen to get in on either building. The houses at the back are all social housing too. We have a barrier with a fob to get into the car park and houses with no overide either (everyone would use it). So emergency services would have to find someone to let them in or smash through (fireman said theyd smash through).
Good to seee theyâre checking buildings. I think that we will get feedback.
I did over hear the fire guy talk about Grenfell and heard the words âcorporate manslaughterâ.
Edit: just been informed that the new build social housing next door has failed itâs fire safety inspection. It was finished in 2014. Our flats are exactly the same so would suggest ours would also fail. Weâve been told the cladding on balconies is plastic and recommended to not have bbqs on them.
When the new leader of Kensington sounds more vague than the previous one and admits that in 11 years as a councillor representing the people she has never been in a tower block, you realise how deep the problems run.
Trouble is, is that this is all we have to look forward to in all areas of our lives, unless someone is willing to stand up for Joe Public
Me? Iâm too frightened about losing my job and my house and being able to support my family in todayâs climate of austerity and uncertaintyâŠSee, theyâve got us all waysâŠ
