Updated: Grenfell fire highlights 'serious failure' and cladding concerns

Experts are also questioning whether cladding added to the building contributed to the disaster.

Forty fire engines and over 200 firefighters and officers were called to the Grenfell tower block in North Kensington at 0054 on June 14, 2017 to tackle a blaze that had engulfed the building.

Dany Cotton, London Fire Commissioner said: “This is an unprecedented situation, with a major fire that has affected all floors of this 24 storey building, from the second floor up. In my 29 years with London Fire Brigade I have never seen a fire of this nature.”

Built in the 1970s, the Grenfell tower block had last year undergone a £10m refurbishment that saw the bottom four floors remodelled to create nine new homes, plus the addition of rain screen cladding, replacement windows and curtain wall façades. Internally, a new communal heating system and smoke extraction and ventilation system were fitted.