World News | UK Announces Plans to Demolish Shell of Grenfell Tower Almost Eight Years After Fire That Killed 72
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The UK government on Friday announced plans to dismantle the remains of London's Grenfell Tower, almost eight years after the deadliest fire in Britain since World War II swept through the high-rise apartment building, killing 72 people.
London, Feb 7 (AP) The UK government on Friday announced plans to dismantle the remains of London's Grenfell Tower, almost eight years after the deadliest fire in Britain since World War II swept through the high-rise apartment building, killing 72 people.
Some of those who lost loved ones in the fire that broke out in the early morning hours of June 14, 2017, have criticised the decision because they wanted to preserve the building's charred skeleton as a monument to those who died.
But the government said that redeveloping the site would help the community heal by removing the remains of the 24-storey building, which looms over the North Kensington neighbourhood in west London, providing a constant reminder of the tragedy.
“Grenfell Tower will be carefully taken down to the ground," the government said in a statement.
A public inquiry into the disaster concluded that decades of failures by government, regulators and industry turned the building into a “death trap.”
The investigation found no “single cause” of the tragedy, but said a combination of dishonest companies, weak regulation and complacent government authorities resulted in the building being remodelled with combustible exterior cladding that allowed a small refrigerator fire to spread rapidly, trapping dozens of residents in their homes. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)