A new inquiry report on London's Grenfell Tower Fire, is citing "significant systemic failings," by the London Fire Brigade in its findings Wednesday.
"There was no contingency plan for evacuation of the tower and the LFB failed to revoke the "stay put" advice at a time when the stairs remained passable. Had it done so, more lives could have been saved," Grenfell Tower Inquiry Chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.
In total, 72 people died from the fire on June 14, 2017. The inquiry also states that the incident commanders were not trained to recognize a fire in the external wall of a high-rise building or how to respond to it, and that the tenant from whose apartment the fire began was not at fault.
In a statement, Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson addressed the inquiry findings saying, "I am very much aware that no report, no words, no apology will ever make good the loss suffered and trauma experienced. But I hope that the findings being published today will bring some measure of comfort to those who suffered so much."
The inquiry calls for new national guidelines for evacuating high-rises during fires, urgent inspections of fire doors across multi-occupancy residential properties and for more details on the external walls and building plans of high-rises to be provided to fire brigades.
In response to the inquiry findings, London's Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said, "We are lobbying for major building regulation change and urgent research into 'buildings that fail' on fire safety, which leaves the national 'stay put' strategy no longer viable." She added, "we will never give up until all of the changes we are calling for to protect residents have been made."
The second phase of the inquiry starts in January with hearings that will run until sometime in 2021.
