Grenfell Tower fire: Relatives hope report will call for change
The report will be given to survivors and families on Monday, two days before it is publicly released.
Monday 28 October 2019 07:37, UK
The first report from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster must deliver calls for change and admit the building was non-compliant, a bereaved relative has said.
More than two years after the blaze which claimed the lives of 72 people, Judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick will publish his phase one report on Wednesday and make specific recommendations.
While it is widely expected to be heavily critical of the London Fire Brigade's response on 14 June 2017, families of the victims also want the judge to recognise wider failings.
Karim Mussilhy's uncle, Hesham Rahman, lived on the top floor of the 23-storey building in west London and died waiting to be rescued.
He told Sky News: "We are hoping Sir Martin Moore-Bick will make some strong recommendations and say Grenfell Tower was non-compliant with building regulations.
"We know this report isn't going to bring us justice but it's a start and a chance to set the tone for phase two."
The inquiry report will focus on the timeline of events and explain what happened: how the fire started, how it spread so rapidly and the response from emergency services.
The controversial 'stay-put' policy where residents were told to remain inside their flats rather than try to escape will likely feature strongly in the report.
The inquiry heard evidence from expert witness, Dr Barbara Lane, who concluded the policy had "substantially failed" by 1.26am when flames could be seen at the top of one side of the tower. However, the 'stay-put' advice wasn't changed until more than an hour later.
Mr Mussilhy believes people should have been told to get out of the building as soon as firefighters knew the blaze was out of control.
He said: "The moment the firefighters arrived and the fire was already up the side of the tower, at that point we should have used our common sense and said, 'Right, the fire is growing very, very quickly, we need to get these people out. Get them out'.
"The people who were there on the night, the firefighters who were there on the night, we all know they risked their lives, broke protocols, but they unfortunately weren't prepared for a fire like this and basic equipment like radios weren't working.
"My uncle called five times that night and on every occasion he was told they knew where he was and to stay put and they were coming to get him. He was a disabled man, he trusted the emergency services and that someone was coming to save his life."
The first report from the public inquiry is said to run to 1,000 pages and will be given to core participants, including survivors and bereaved families on Monday, two days before it is officially published.
Phase two of the inquiry will look into the circumstances and decisions leading up to the fire and the 2016 refurbishment of Grenfell Tower.
Sky News is broadcasting a Brexit-free channel, weekdays 5pm to 10pm on Sky 523