The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast

Lawyers for survivors called for the stay-put advice to be changed to get out.

Counsel for the tenant in flat 16 where the fire started said the inquiry should conclude the fire was accidental. He urged the inquiry not to use firefighters as sacrificial lambs.

Producer Kate Lamble

The London Fire Brigade acknowledges it was overwhelmed on the night of the fire. Lawyers for the bereaved, survivors and residents criticise the fire brigade’s response and argue the tower didn’t meet building regulations.

Today the inquiry heard evidence from the written statements given by the bereaved, survivors and residents of Grenfell.

These included accounts from Emmanuella Desaro whose daughter Gloria Trevisan died on the top floor of Grenfell Tower, and Adriana Ramirez, the mother of 12-year-old Jessica Urbano Ramirez, who went up the tower to try to escape the fire.

Witness statements from residents who were evacuated from their homes in the wider Lancaster West Estate were also read out.

Producers Elisabeth Mahy and Kate Lamble

Expert witness Professor David Purser believes people are more likely to have died from smoke inhalation than from exposure to heat and flames.

During a presentation to the inquiry Professor Purser explained how irritants and gases in the smoke would have affected residents and impeded their escape.

Producers Elisabeth Mahy and Kate Lamble

Forensic Scientist, Niamh Nic Daeid, agreed that the fire started in the fridge freezer in Flat 16. She told the inquiry she’s certain it was an accident.

The Inquiry also released statements from the London Fire Brigade, the local council and the government about what changes they have made since the fire at Grenfell Tower.

Producers Elisabeth Mahy and Kate Lamble

Electrical expert Dr Duncan Glover told the inquiry it’s likely the fire started when the wiring in a fridge freezer in Flat 16 overheated.

He explained how a small piece of wire, discovered in a bedroom 27 days after the fire, led him to this conclusion.

Producers Elisabeth Mahy and Kate Lamble

Nicholas Burton lived in flat 165 on the 19th floor of Grenfell Tower with his wife, Pily, and their dog. In an extended interview with Eddie Mair, Nicholas talks about life at Grenfell before the fire and how he had to give up work to care for his wife who developed dementia. He describes the night of the fire and the impact it has had on him.

Dr. Barbara Lane returned to give a second day of evidence. This time she focusses on fire prevention and safety measures in place inside Grenfell Tower on the night of the fire.

The inquiry heard how flat doors did not meet safety regulations, and how firefighters were unable to take control of the lifts.

Listen to the full story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p066rd9t

Producer Elisabeth Mahy

The inquiry heard from Call Room Operators Yvonne Adams, Christine Howson and Heidi Fox.

Yvonne Adams took a call from a woman trapped on the 14th floor who pleaded with her to send for help.

Christine Howson said it was so noisy in the control room that she found it difficult to hear callers.

Listen to the full story here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p066rd9t

Producer Elisabeth Mahy

The inquiry heard from expert witness Dr Barbara Lane, a specialist in fire engineering.

Her 2,000 page-long report focuses on the fire prevention and safety measures in place on the night of the fire, and to what extent these measures failed to control its spread.

Dr Lane told the inquiry that parts of the external cladding did not meet required safety standards.

Producer Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy