(15 June 2017) Hundred people were injured and at least 17 killed in the devastating inferno of the Grenfell Tower (West London) on Wednesday 14th. The tower hosted about 400-600 persons, most of them living in social housing. According to public authorities, the death toll is expected to rise.
The Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack states that “firefighters and other emergency services have been working through the night to secure the building and to save as many lives as possible. They will be doing a particularly difficult job witnessing brutal and tragic scenes with the professionalism we have come to expect from them. The thoughts of everyone in the fire service family will be with their colleagues in London this morning who are doing a sterling job under very difficult circumstances." (entire statement here). He recalls that a full investigation is needed into the causes of the fire.
EPSU General Secretary on behalf of EPSU’s affiliates “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and co-workers of those killed and injured. Public sector workers have been on the frontline and we all witnessed how firefighters and others go in where others leave. We salute them.”
The management of this tower was outsourced by the local council to a private company named Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO). Before this drama, some tenants recently criticized the manner KCTMO managed the fire safety in the tower.
U.K.
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