On June 14th, 2017, a fire broke out at Grenfell Tower, a 23-story residential block of flats in Kensington, London. The incident shocked the nation as people across the country watched the tower burn, with 72 lives lost in the tragedy.
But what many don’t realise is that this disaster was not an isolated incident. In fact, it was the result of decades of failures and warnings that were ignored.
This is a story of five fires and their clear warnings that should have prevented the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.
The first fire on this list is a lesser-known one, but it set the tone for the following incidents. 44 years before Grenfell, there was Summerland – a massive indoor holiday park in Europe designed to provide sunshine all year round. It was an impressive building that caught the attention and admiration of many. However, this admiration quickly turned into horror when a fire broke out. The building was wrapped in a flammable plastic called horror glass, and it didn’t take long for the flames to spread uncontrollably. Despite people’s attempts to escape, over 50 lives were lost in this disaster.
But even after such a catastrophe, the lessons were not learned. The next fire on our list is Meadow Well Estate, Newcastle upon Tyne, five years after Summerland. This time, it was a high-rise apartment building with similar design flaws – flammable cladding and lack of fire safety measures. The fire quickly spread across the building, trapping residents inside. However, despite obvious design flaws and clear warnings from previous incidents, no changes were made.
Fast forward to 1999, in Irvine, Scotland – Garnock Court high-rise apartment fire. Once again, the building had been wrapped in flammable cladding that allowed the fire to rapidly spread across the building, trapping residents inside. And again, despite calls for action to prevent similar incidents, nothing significant was done.
In 2009, there was Lakanal House, a high-rise apartment building in London. The similarities between this fire and Grenfell are disturbingly apparent. The building had a lack of fire safety measures and was wrapped in flammable cladding, allowing the fire to quickly spread and trap residents inside. Despite multiple calls for change from fire safety experts, no action was taken.
And finally, 8 years before Grenfell, there was Camberwell Tower in London. Once again, the building had been wrapped in flammable cladding and lacked fire safety measures. And once again, the residents were told to stay put as the fire spread rapidly across the building. While there were no casualties in this fire, the similarities to Grenfell are undeniable.
So why did it take Grenfell for people to finally pay attention? Why were all the warnings and lessons from previous incidents ignored?
It’s clear that the main cause of these fires was the flammable cladding used on these buildings. But it goes beyond that. It was a systemic failure of regulations and oversight that allowed these buildings to be wrapped in death traps.
For decades, there have been calls for stricter regulations and more thorough safety measures, but they were all ignored. The government and those responsible for these buildings failed to act, despite clear warnings from previous fires. And as a result, 72 lives were lost in Grenfell Tower – lives that could have been saved if action had been taken earlier.
The aftermath of Grenfell saw an outpouring of grief and anger, with calls for justice and change from survivors and victims’ families. The tragedy also brought attention to other high-rise buildings with similar design flaws and sparked a nationwide review of building safety regulations.
But the question remains – why did it take such a devastating incident for change to happen? And how many more lives could have been saved if the lessons from previous fires were learned?
In conclusion, Grenfell Tower was not just an isolated incident. It was a tragedy that could have been avoided if key lessons from previous fires had been taken seriously. It’s a harsh reminder that the consequences of neglecting safety regulations and overlooking obvious warning signs can be fatal.
It’s time for those in power to listen and make significant changes to ensure that buildings are safe for their residents. The lives lost in Grenfell and other similar incidents should never be forgotten, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they did not die in vain.
Remember, the next time you hug your loved ones, there are families out there who will never get that chance because those in power failed to take action. It’s time for change, and it’s up to all of us to demand it.
