At 2.47 am (1 hour and 53 minutes after the initial 999 call), the LFB revoked the ‘stay put’ policy, advising surrounding neighbours, relatives and friends to contact anybody they could reach within the tower and urge them to try and find a way to escape. With one central staircase (which was now filled with toxic black smoke) and one exit, it was an almost impossible feat.

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Through the early hours and morning, 70 fire engines had arrived on the scene. 250 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze.  I’d walked past the tower almost daily since moving to the area, yet I hadn’t ever been inside. I naively recall thinking at the time, “I’m sure that they have some sprinkler system inside, that’ll surely help?” Unfortunately, I later discovered that Grenfell Tower, like the majority of tower blocks in the UK, had no functional sprinkler system. By 4.44 am (3 hours and 50 minutes after the initial call), Grenfell Tower was entirely engulfed in flames.

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The skies were a shade of light blue, yet before me was this orange glow. I can still visualise it clearly. I wept as I mentally pictured the figures behind each window. Each window had now disappeared behind the flames and smoke. At around 5 or 5.30 am, I sent my mum a message on WhatsApp. I informed her that she would wake up to some bad news, but that we were okay. To this day, if there is one thing from that night that I am thankful for, it is that my child slept the night away, blissfully unaware. I can’t allow myself to become too consumed in that gratitude, as I think back to the children who lost parents; the parents who lost children; and the children who, unlike my child, witnessed it all unfold.

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From approximately 6.00 am, I had Sky News on the television. They were covering the fire, and I was desperate to know who had made it out. I also needed confirmation of the fatalities. As strange as it feels to admit, a part of me thought that I needed confirmation to mourn those gone, even if I didn’t know them personally.

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The final resident of Grenfell Tower to be rescued from the building came out at 8.07 am. My son had woken up an hour earlier and struggled to comprehend what was unfolding as the fire was still raging furiously nearby. Despite this, he insisted that I take him to school, which I did. My biggest regret is that I too went to work afterwards. Looking back, I wish I’d called off work that day and stayed home to help my community. All day in the office, I refreshed news pages, desperate for more information. I felt a  glimmer of hope when I witnessed the community come together so quickly. I felt an instant sense of pride for my area and the people I resided with.

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In the immediate hours after the fire, online platforms were awash with the earlier Grenfell Action Group (GAG) blog posts. Residents had repeatedly expressed concerns regarding fire safety in Grenfell Tower. In 2013, GAG blogged a 2012 report written following an assessment by a KCTMO health and safety officer. They, too, had recorded multiple fire safety concerns, such as condemned fire extinguishers and firefighting equipment that hadn’t been checked for around four years. The building didn’t even have a centrally activated fire alarm. 

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In June 2016 (1 year before the fire), the Grenfell Tower Leaseholders Association carried out an independent assessment, I later found out. Their assessor raised 40 serious fire safety issues and recommended further action being taken in a matter of weeks. In October 2016, KCTMO was questioned why half of the issues raised prior had still not been resolved. In November 2016, the London Fire and Planning Authority served KCTMO with a fire efficiency notice for Grenfell Tower. It ordered that works to fix issues including lack of fire-safe doors and repairs to the smoke venting system, be completed by May 2017 – one month before the fire.

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In total, 223 people escaped the tower alive, although 74 of those sustained various injuries. It is widely believed that because it was the holy month of Ramadan, many who survived did so because they were awake in the early hours enjoying ‘Suhar’, a pre-dawn meal.

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It had initially been confirmed that 71 people lost their lives due to the fire at Grenfell Tower. Still, this toll officially rose to 72 when Maria Del Pilar Burton, who also suffered serious long-term health issues, died in hospital in January 2018 – seven months after the fire. 

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The youngest of victims of the blaze included a six-month-old baby, Leena Belkadi, who died in her mother’s arms. The mother also died whilst she tried to escape. And baby Logan Gomes was stillborn in hospital. Even though his mother survived. Eyewitnesses reported to various news outlets at the time having seen people jump from the tower to escape. I didn’t witness this myself. It was later confirmed that four of the deceased victims had sustained injuries consistent with falling from height.

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It has been previously speculated in the community that the official death toll could be higher. Grenfell Tower had no formal register for residents, and there were claims of there being undocumented migrants and asylum seekers who lived there through sub-letting.

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In total, the fire burnt for over 60 hours and was officially declared extinguished on the evening of 16th June 2017. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, the London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said this: “In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never seen anything of this scale”. She later admitted to receiving counselling following a decline in her mental health, alongside 80 fire crew and metropolitan police officers (present during the fire) who also subsequently suffered from mental health issues.

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The fire at Grenfell Tower has since been declared the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War. Online figures show that 67% of bereaved relatives, friends and survivors of Grenfell Tower have had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 26%-48% of residents who witnessed the blaze have also been diagnosed with PTSD. I’ve been told by those closest to me that I may have developed some stress disorders from that night, but I’ve always felt too guilty to seek help; “who am I in comparison to those who suffered worse?”

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In July 2017, a month after the fire, a local volunteer reported to a Grenfell Response Team meeting that 20 locals had attempted suicide. Four years on, I wonder if any did continue with their attempts and if they succeeded? I hope it is not the case, but we should include their names in the official death toll if that did happen.

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Walking around Latimer Road today, one is met with various murals to commemorate those lost and to celebrate all those within the community. The community spirit I felt when I moved there has certainly not been dampened alongside the fire. For it was the community that came together to offer aid, love, and hope. Groups such as ‘Grenfell United’ and ‘Justice For Grenfell’ continue to tirelessly campaign for justice – for those at fault to be held accountable.

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In the fire’s aftermath, the government commissioned an urgent independent review into building regulations and fire safety. It also commissioned urgent reviews on buildings across the UK with similar cladding types. It pledged £200 million to have replace cladding on residential tower blocks in England.

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However, upon recent research, I have discovered omissions. ‘Inside Housing’ published a report in April 2021 highlighting that material identical to Aluminium Composite (that was used on Grenfell and subsequently declared as the ‘primary’ cause of the fire) was still on 233 other buildings across the UK. And remedial works had still not been done.

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The report goes on to say that 44 of those buildings were yet to start work. This is despite the government threatening ‘enforcement action’ on building owners who did not comply. Names of such companies can be found on the government’s monthly building safety data, but what more could be done to enforce actions?

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In 2018, during the lead up to the first anniversary of the fire, Theresa May (Prime Minister at the time, later replaced by Boris Johnson in the summer of 2019) acknowledged the failings: “It was a tragedy unparalleled in recent history, and although many people did incredible work during and after the fire, it has long been clear that the initial response was not good enough. I include myself in that.”

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Theresa May was slammed by the survivors, the bereaved and the local community for not seeing them during her initial visit to the tower. The lack of empathy felt like a massive slap in the face to the community. After facing heavy criticism in the press, she later did return and was subsequently heckled by locals. She then said of accusations of her not caring, that it “never was the case”.

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It had been exposed previously that the council’s cabinet member ignored the previous pleas from the Grenfell Action Group over the building’s lack of fire safety and the aftermath of the fire saw council officials and councillors forced to resign due to their ‘poor handlings’.

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In January 2020, Mohamed Ragab, who lost his nephew Hesham Rahman in the fire, spoke to Boris Johnson during a meeting about his own time working for TMO (KCTMO). He went on to reveal that Boris Johnson had questioned what TMO was. It would appear that ‘ignorance’ amongst the conservative party is still too big a factor. Even more concerning is that in the fire’s immediate aftermath, a government task force took over parts of the RBKC’s functions.

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From September 2017, public inquiry hearings opened. An inquest has also been opened and is pending further police investigations and enquiries. The hearings have often been met with criticism. Grenfell justice groups claim that biases present amongst some chair members. And there have been situations where relatives and the bereaved have been prevented from attending some meetings.

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It has been over 1,600 days since the Grenfell Tower fire. Only six arrests have been made, with no convictions. By June 2018, 5 individuals were arrested for fraud, some of whom had even made false claims of losing loved ones in the fire. Rydon, the leading contractors in charge of works carried out on the building, came under intense scrutiny, both at the public inquiry and in the media. Artella (administration), Max Fordham (specialist mechanical and electrical consultants), and Harley Facades (cladding) also found themselves in the firing line.

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The companies that worked alongside the council were massively criticised for their ‘penny pinching’ tactics. It was revealed that RBKC had ditched plans to proceed with their original works contractor, Leadbitter, due to costs estimated at £1.6 million higher than the proposed budget. RBKC, in turn, decided to hire Rydon, whose refurbishment works had been estimated at £2.5 million less than Leadbitter.

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Acronis Reynobond PE and Reynolux Aluminium Sheets were the two proposed cladding types fitted on Grenfell Tower. RBKC decided to use the cheaper composite material. Celotex RS500 Pirthermal was used for insulation beneath the cladding, being fitted to the exterior walls of each flat. RBKC had refused an alternative option with better fire resistance, again due to cost. I often find myself asking, “What drove the officials from the wealthiest borough in Britain to penny pinch so carelessly when it came to the health and safety of the residents within the borough?” I then find myself stumbling across the same answer every time, which is simple. It came down to class, and it came down to race. Many of the residents within Grenfell Tower were from either lower or working-class backgrounds. Many also didn’t originally hail from the UK. Their needs, their concerns and their voices didn’t appear to matter enough to those they relied upon to house them in safe conditions.

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The LFB also faced heavy criticism, both at the public inquiry and in the press. It was stated that they should have discarded the implemented ‘stay put’ policy 1 hour and 20 minutes before it was actually revoked. It was also reported that the LFB had broken protocol during their rescue efforts by entering a building without knowing if it was structurally safe.

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I clearly remember, at regular times, witnessing burning debris fall from Grenfell. I did have my concerns at the time if the tower was going to collapse. I often compare the scene to that of the Twin Towers during the 9/11 collapse. “If they could come down, couldn’t Grenfell?” Frequent explosions were also heard coming from within the building. It was later revealed that up to 100 firefighters entered Grenfell Tower at once. I’ll never forget their smoke-stained faces, lined up against the wall of the leisure centre, their eyes red and tear-filled.

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Come to think of it, I can’t recall receiving a visit from council officials in the aftermath of the fire or even in the months to follow. Volunteers, yes. Local charities, plenty. Not RBKC members.

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To my family and I, the LFB were absolute heroes. For it was them who risked their own lives attempting to save those trapped in Grenfell Tower. Mariem Elgwahry, 27, and Nadia Choucaur, 33, had also previously campaigned regarding fire and health and safety concerns at the tower.

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Mariem and Nadia, alongside other GAG bloggers, had been threatened with legal action by RBKC in the years before the fire on the grounds of ‘character defamation’ and ‘harassment’. Mariem, Nadia and 70 others lost their lives in the early hours of 14th June 2017 in the fire at Grenfell Tower. It would appear that the ‘suits’ behind the councils’ decision-making are the ones who defamed their characters. As Grenfell Action Group once protested, ‘they can’t say that they weren’t warned.’