Over one in four firefighters who responded to the fire have also reported long-term, life-changing health effects, such as digestive, respiratory, and neurological diseases and cancers. The fire spread rapidly due to combustible cladding that had been installed on the tower during a 2016 refurbishment, which was labelled as disastrous following the inquiry.
The day after the fire, the then Prime Minister Theresa May ordered a public inquiry into the fire, which was led by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick, to ascertain what had happened to take the necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. The inquiry consisted of two phases with Phase 1 looking at the night of the fire and Phase 2 looking at the wider picture and the events leading up to the fire.
The inquiry’s final report highlighted a chain of failures and systematic dishonesty across the government and the private sector and a lack of strategy by the Fire and Rescue Service for the response to a high-rise residential fire. Phase 2 of the report, which was published in September 2024, made a total of 58 recommendations which the government have vowed to respond to.
Following Phase 2 of the report being published, the government announced plans to demolish the shell of the tower. This is going to be carried out by Deconstruct, who have acted as the principal contractor at the site since 2017. This decision has split opinion among the community, with some believing it should remain as a reminder and tribute to those lost and others believing that the site should be redeveloped to help the community heal.
Eight years on from the night of the fire there has been a two-phase public enquiry, a Netflix documentary produced, and five UK governments formed, but there have been no criminal prosecutions for anyone from the named organisations and companies, who bear a degree of responsibility for the disaster. The Metropolitan Police and prosecutors have said that final decisions on potential criminal charges will be made by the end of 2026.
With the charred remains of the tower still looming in West London, the wait for justice is far from over for the families of the deceased and those affected by the fire.