• The fire escalated further because the insulation used in the refurbishment, which was carried out between 2014 and 2016, was actually flammable
• Only a fifth of the building’s fire doors worked properly, thus accelerating the speed at which smoke and flames spread through the core
• Firefighting facilities were below standard, with no ‘wet rising main’ pipe that meant fire fighting water could not be easily fired on all 24 floors
• New landscaping at the base of the building also meant that just one fire engine could park there, with the only real benefit of the refurbishment being that it did stop the tower collapsing
• The refurbishment, which was completed a year earlier, had failed to meet fire safety standards and ‘deficiencies’ in the new facade helped the fire spread up the building’s exterior
• Cavity barriers were actually found to have been installed back to front or upside down and were “insufficient” to bridge the gap between the surface of the building and the cladding, helping to spread the flames
• Window frames were also narrower than the gap they were placed in, meaning the fire could spread around the frame, onto the tower’s facade and back into other flats
• When residents attempted to flee the fire, many of their flat doors stayed open, enabling the fire to spread into the lobby, while the absence of a sprinkler system and the narrow single internal stairwell also breached building regulations Grenfell United, a group for survivors and bereaved families, said in a statement: “The report is shocking but it is not surprising to those of us that lived in the tower. It reveals how in the early hours of June 14 last year, the fire started in a single fridge-freezer in a single flat on the fourth floor; travelled through an open window within a metre of the fridge; took hold in the cladding; and consumed an entire 24-storey, 70-metre-high building. In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 1/51 Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police 2/51 A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes 3/51 A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom 4/51 Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police 5/51 Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police 6/51 Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police 7/51 Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA 8/51 A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 9/51 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX 10/51 An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty 11/51 Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 12/51 Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP 13/51 A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images 14/51 Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA 15/51 A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images 16/51 Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP 17/51 A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP 18/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA 19/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 20/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA 21/51 Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 22/51 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 23/51 Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images 24/51 A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 25/51 A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 26/51 Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX 27/51 Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 28/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 29/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire 30/51 Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 31/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 32/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 33/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 34/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 35/51 People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 36/51 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 37/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 38/51 A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 39/51 A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 40/51 A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 41/51 A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 42/51 The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty 43/51 Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall 44/51 Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 45/51 People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett 46/51 A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP 47/51 A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 48/51 Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA 49/51 Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 50/51 Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 51/51 Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire 1/51 Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police 2/51 A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes 3/51 A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom 4/51 Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police 5/51 Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police 6/51 Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police 7/51 Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA 8/51 A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 9/51 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX 10/51 An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty 11/51 Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 12/51 Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP 13/51 A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images 14/51 Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA 15/51 A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images 16/51 Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP 17/51 A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP 18/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA 19/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 20/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA 21/51 Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 22/51 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 23/51 Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images 24/51 A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 25/51 A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 26/51 Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX 27/51 Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 28/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 29/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire 30/51 Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 31/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 32/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 33/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 34/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 35/51 People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 36/51 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 37/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 38/51 A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 39/51 A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 40/51 A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 41/51 A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 42/51 The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty 43/51 Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall 44/51 Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 45/51 People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett 46/51 A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP 47/51 A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 48/51 Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA 49/51 Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 50/51 Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 51/51 Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

It added: “Our aim is to carry out an investigation that has integrity and if it uncovers evidence that any individual or organisation is criminally culpable we want that evidence to be tested through the judicial system.”

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “We think the public inquiry and the police investigation are the right places for testing all the evidence as a whole. The report, by fire investigation experts BRE Global, was quoted as saying: “Grenfell Tower, as originally built, appears to have been designed on the premise of providing very high levels of passive fire protection. “The original facade of Grenfell Tower, comprising exposed concrete and, given its age, likely timber or metal frame windows, would not have provided a medium for fire spread up the external surface. In BRE’s opinion … there would have been little opportunity for a fire in a flat of Grenfell Tower to spread to any neighbouring flats.”

The experts found instead that “deficiencies” in the construction of the new facade provided fuel for the fire to spread — and that it did so with such ferocity that if the original building had been built to less stringent modern standards of fire resistance, “it is likely the Tower would have collapsed, whether fully or partially”. 2 The facade ignited

Once the flames breached the window, BRE suggests several options as to what happened next: that the flames ignited the “highly combustible” polyethylene core of the aluminium cladding; that they ignited the “combustible” foam insulation; or that they took hold of the “flammable” materials around the window frame. The report identifies five significant breaches of building regulations that appear directly implicated in the loss of life:

Gaps that fanned fire

The cavity barriers — which in the event of fire are meant to expand and seal the gap between the concrete surface of the building and the cladding insulation — were of “insufficient size specification” to perform this vital function. The inferno broke out on June 14 when flames from an exploding fridge engulfed the building within minutes, with the fire fanned due to ‘gaps’ in the building’s newly installed cladding and windows.
A leaked draft report by fire investigators BRS Global for the Metropolitan Police reveals new details of mistakes in the construction and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower in London. As well as flammable cladding the report finds errors in window and cavity installation. It concludes the fire would have not spread beyond a single flat and all 71 victims would have survived had refurbishment not been performed, and that victims may also have survived had they sought refuge behind fire doors protecting waste chute rooms on each floor.