MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The UK government initiated Tuesday the judge-led inquiry into deadly Grenfell Tower blaze in London by publishing the investigation's terms of reference, set out by inquiry chief Martin Moore-Bick last week, and UK Prime Minister Theresa May's response letter, fully accepting the proposed terms and declaring the start of the probe.
"The terms of reference you set out in your letter address crucial issues of the cause and spread of the fire; the design, construction and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower; the scope and adequacy of the relevant regulations, legislation and guidance; the actions of the local authority and other bodies before the tragedy; the response of the London Fire Brigade to the fire and the response of central and local government in the aftermath. I am therefore happy to accept your recommendations for the Inquiry's terms of reference without any amendments, and to announce an immediate start date of today, 15 August 2017," the letter read.
On June 14, a huge fire started at the Grenfell tower high-rise block in North Kensington in London, engulfing the entire building and trapping almost 120 families inside. A set of the combustibility tests has been carried out since then, showing that cladding used in the construction of dozens of the high-rises did not comply with the fire safety requirements.
At least 80 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the fire, which prompted mass demonstrations in London over the way local authorities dealt with the implications of the fire. The majority of the people that lived in the house were immigrants from the Middle East or Africa.
