Grenfell Tower fire: London Fire Brigade interviewed under caution by police
Metropolitan Police said they had conducted 17 interviews under caution so far, but no charges had been brought forward.
Monday 16 September 2019 14:19, UK
London Fire Brigade has confirmed that it has been interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police over the Grenfell Tower fire.
The fire destroyed the Grenfell Tower block of flats in Kensington, London in June 2017, killing 72 people inside.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) said that it had been questioned voluntarily "as a body, rather than an individual" in relation to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Dany Cotton, LFB commissioner, said the bereaved and survivors of the tower fire needed answers.
"As the fire and rescue service attending the Grenfell Tower fire it is entirely correct that we are part of the investigation.
"Hundreds of firefighters, officers and control officers have already provided voluntary police interviews and we will continue to do all we can to assist investigators.
"We will also continue to ensure firefighters, officers and control officers and other Brigade staff are supported throughout this investigation and the ongoing public inquiry."
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it had so far conducted 17 interviews under caution as part of their investigation.
The interviews, the service said, were for "gross negligence manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, and health and safety offences".
London Fire Brigade added that it was assisting "in every possible way" to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.
The Metropolitan Police said in June that 13 interviews had been carried out under caution by those involved in the criminal investigation into the fire.
Back in March, police said that no charges were likely to be brought forward until at least 2021, saying it would be "wrong" not to wait until the final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
A report from the first phase of the public inquiry into the disaster is due to be published in October, with the second phase beginning in 2020.
The Grenfell Tower fire began on the fourth floor of the block in a fridge freezer, spreading up the building's 23 floors in the early hours of the 14 June 2017.
Flammable cladding, which was installed on the building in a recent renovation, is thought to have contributed to the spread of the fire.