Green deathtraps: energy-saving renovation blamed for horrific Grenfell Tower fire in London
The U.K. Telegraph reports:
Fears were raised that green energy concerns were prioritised ahead of safety as it emerged that cladding used to make the building more sustainable could have accelerated the fire.
On Wednesday night, police confirmed 12 people had died following the blaze at Grenfell House in Kensington, west London, but they expected the death toll to rise.Hundreds of the roughly 500 residents in the block were unaccounted for. Some estimated that the death toll could rise above 100.
The residents had been complaining for years about fire hazards and the lack of a sprinkler system. Those fears were more than justified, it turns out:
Government ministers were warned about the fire risk of cladding as far back as 1999, the Daily Telegraph can reveal.
It was installed on the council-owned Grenfell block in 2015 as part of a £10 million refurbishment by a company which was later liquidated after a firm they were working with refused to pay out in a dispute over their work.
“Council-owned” is the British descriptor for public housing. The money spent on renovation may have pleased greens with its energy savings, but the cost may reach 100 lives or more.
