London fire survivors vent anger, frustration

LONDON - Residents vented their anger Thursday over a fire that raced through a London high-rise and claimed 17 lives, as concern grew that the blaze will not be the last such tragedy without dramatic changes to Britain's public housing towers.

As firefighters continued to search the burned-out hull of the 24-story Grenfell Tower - where flames were still visible Thursday afternoon, nearly two days after the first panicked emergency calls - displaced residents on the streets below demanded that public officials provide answers about a disaster they say was preventable.

'Someone needs to be held accountable!” people shouted as London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited to pay his respects.

As others shouted for legislation requiring that Britain's aging public high-rises be retrofitted with sprinkler systems and multiple stairwells - which were lacking at Grenfell Tower - Khan said he shared their frustration and called for a government inquiry into the blaze to publish its initial findings by the end of the summer.

'We can't afford to wait many years for those answers,” he said.

The outcry came as police raised their estimate of the death toll from 12 to 17, acknowledging that it could go far higher as search crews work through the wreckage of the 120-unit building that remains hazardous.

Authorities said they did not expect to find more survivors, and that the number of people who are unaccounted for is 'unknown.” But the posters bearing photos of children in bike helmets, young mothers and entire families testified to the fact that many remain missing.

'I really hope the number of fatalities does not reach triple figures,” said London Police Cmdr. Stuart Cundy.

Cundy said the recovery of bodies, assisted by sniffer dogs, may not be completed for weeks.

As of late Thursday, 30 people remained hospitalized, 15 of them in critical condition.

Grenfell Tower had been home to 500 people, among them the disabled, the poor and others seeking an affordable place to live in a city that's increasingly unaffordable for all but the wealthiest.

British Prime Minister Theresa May visited the scene of the blaze and spoke to firefighters who had been working round-the-clock. She later ordered a full public inquiry. to ensure that 'this terrible tragedy is properly investigated.”

'We need to have an explanation for this,” she said. 'We owe that to the families.”

But she was criticized for not meeting with relatives or survivors, as did her rival, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn said afterward that he was 'very angry that so many lives have been lost when the system didn't work.”

Grenfell Tower residents had complained for years to the management organization - and to the borough council - that they feared that their building was unsafe.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. But attention among experts has focused on a 2016 refurbishment that could have contributed to the fire spreading so quickly. Witnesses said the blaze tore through the high-rise's exterior cladding within minutes and seemed to offer a path for it to leap from floor to floor.

Bart Kavanagh, associate director at Probyn Miers, a forensic architecture firm that examines design defects, said the focus of the investigation may turn to how the cladding was installed.

He said that there are strict requirements in Britain on materials used in cladding, and that there was no evidence that those rules had been flouted.

'But it isn't only just the materials that matter - it's the way they are put together,” he said.

The contractors involved in the renovation have said they believe their work was up to code, and the management organization has said it complied with Britain's strict fire safety rules.

But Khan said that there were critical concerns about a number of other tower blocks in the British capital that were refurbished in a similar fashion.

'There are pressing questions which demand urgent answers,” he said.

David Lammy, a Labour Party lawmaker, went further, calling the disaster 'corporate manslaughter.”

'This is the richest borough in our country treating its citizens in this way,” he told the BBC. 'There should be arrests made, frankly.”

He said that his friend, Khadija Saye, a 24-year-old photographer, is among those reported missing. She lived on the 20th floor with her mother.

'We grow more sad and bleak at every second,” he said.

As of late Thursday, more than $1.2 million had been raised to help those affected by the tragedy, while displaced residents were welcomed at area churches and mosques. Clothes, food and blankets continued to be brought to local collection points, with some overwhelmed by the generosity. A cardboard sign outside of one read: 'No more donations please. Maybe in a few days.”

Just around the corner from the tower, a makeshift wall of condolences expressed people's grief and defiance.

'Bonds formed in fire are difficult to break,” read one message.