The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Podcast

The inquiry hears how the gas supply to Grenfell wasn’t disconnected until 23.40. Jason Allday from Cadent told the inquiry that gas contributed to the fire at Grenfell. He spent 24 hours at the scene cutting the supply. The enquiry also heard 23 written statements submitted by witnesses whose relatives died in the fire. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us...

The inquiry heard how the Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service struggled to give advice to residents trapped in the tower who had called 999. Neil Jerome, told the inquiry he didn’t know why the change in stay put advice wasn’t communicated to the police. Paul Woodrow, the director of operations for the London Ambulance Service explained why paramedics did not enter the tower. Producer...

Today the inquiry heard from the two most senior police officers to attend the fire. Inspector Nicholas Thatcher declared the fire a Major Incident shortly before arriving at the scene. Today he told the inquiry how he was afraid the tower would collapse onto members of the public watching from the ground. Commander Neil Jerome, chief officer on-call in London on the night of the fire, also gave e...

The inquiry heard five weeks of evidence from the bereaved, survivors and residents of Grenfell Tower. Thirty-five witnesses gave evidence in person. One hundred and forty written statements have been read-in and published. In this edition of the podcast Eddie Mair pieces together some of the issues that have come up. Producer Olivia Beazley Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Warning you may find some parts of this podcast distressing Marcio Gomes told the inquiry how he and his family got out of Grenfell tower from the 21st floor. This includes audio from a 999 call he made on his way down the tower with his daughters and pregnant wife. A 999 call operator remained on the line with Mr Gomes for 33 minutes. The family were separated in the smoke-filled stairwell. Produ...

Warning you may find some parts of this podcast distressing. Marcio Gomes told the inquiry how he and his family got out of Grenfell tower from the 21st floor. The inquiry heard a 999 call he made on his way down the tower. The inquiry also heard evidence from the last person to leave the tower. Elpido Bonifacio, who is registered as blind. He wasn’t rescued until after 8am. Producers Kate Lamble...

The Inquiry heard evidence from Natasha Elcock who lived on the 11th floor. Firefighters didn't reach her and her family until 4.30 in the morning. She made 14 calls to the emergency services while she was trapped in her flat. Hanan Wahabi lived in Flat 66 on the 9th floor. After she and her family escaped the tower, she called her brother Abdulaziz El-Wahabi who lived higher up the tower. Produce...

Elizabeth Sobiesczak had lived in Grenfell Tower for 32 years before the fire. Today she described how she got out from the seventh floor with her husband and daughter. The inquiry also heard written evidence from 21 bereaved, survivors and residents. These included accounts from the 15th, 10th, 8th and 6th floors. . Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via...

Nicholas Burton and his wife were rescued by firefighters from their flat on the 19th floor. The inquiry heard how he was led down the stairs through thick black smoke. Helen Gebremeskel who lived on the 21st floor also gave evidence. Her twelve year old daughter was carried from the tower by firefighters after she collapsed in the stairwell. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Oli...

The inquiry heard from three witnesses today. They all escaped the tower within forty-five minutes of the first 999 call being made. Rashida Ali left her flat on the 15th floor with her daughter. Her husband Sid Ali Atmani was unwell and chose to stay in bed when his family left. He told the Inquiry how he made the decision to leave the flat when he realised the severity of the fire. Hoang Khanh Q...

Sener Macit stayed in his flat on the 16th floor until after 3.30. It was then the fire broke through his windows, setting his curtains, bed and wardrobe alight. Alemishet Demissie who lived on the 12th floor also gave evidence. She and a friend who was staying in her flat described how the floor turned black while they were trapped. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazl...

Roy Smith thought he and his family were going to die on the 12th floor of Grenfell Tower. Today the inquiry heard how they got out. Written evidence was also read out today. The inquiry heard excerpts from statements made by friends and relatives of the Choucair family, and relatives of Berikti Haftom. Statements from survivors from the 18th and 9th floor were also read out. Producers Kate Lamble...

The inquiry heard evidence from Paulos Tekle. His five-year old son, Isaac, got separated from his parents while they were trying to escape from the 18th floor. He died. Rabia Yahya escaped from the 18th floor with her three children. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Naomi Li is one of two residents from the 22nd floor who survived the fire. She described how she sheltered in a neighbour’s flat before deciding to try and escape down the stairs. Hamid Wahbi lived on the 16th floor of Grenfell tower. He was the only one of his family at home on the night of the fire. Written evidence was read out from other bereaved, survivors and residents. Producers Kate Lambl...

Farhad Neda carried his mother Flora down the stairs from the 23rd floor. His father Saber Neda stayed in the flat, assisting other residents who had fled up the tower. The inquiry also heard written evidence from Ahmed Elgwahry who was on the phone to his sister and mother when they were trapped on the top floor. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via em...

The inquiry hears how a resident escaped from the 20th floor Ignoring advice to stay put, Petra Doulova and her husband made their way down the smoke filled stairwell. Jose Vieiro witnessed his kitchen window cave in and his curtains catching fire before he and his wife escaped from their flat on the 7th floor. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via email...

The inquiry hears from two of the eight residents of Grenfell Tower who sheltered in flat 113 on the 14th floor. Among them was Omar Alhaj Ali who managed to escape the fire. He got separated from his brother Mohammad who did not survive. In desperation Oluwasuen Talabi made a make-shift rope from bed sheets and attempted to get his family out of the flat. He eventually escaped down the stairs wit...

Rosemary Oyewole’s neighbours sheltered in her flat on the 14th floor as the fire spread. She tells the inquiry how her partner made a make-shift rope from bedsheets. They eventually escaped down the staircase with their four year old daughter. The inquiry also heard written statements from seventeen others among the bereaved, survivors and residents. Richard Millett QC read the accounts of some o...

Richard Fletcher described how he carried his six-year-old daughter from the 16th floor of the tower. Mariko Toyoshima-Lewis, who uses a wheelchair, waited 45 minutes to be rescued from the 3rd floor of Grenfell Tower. Today she described her experience. Also, housing expert, Richard Blanco, explains who is responsible for the upkeep, refurbishment and safety of residential tower blocks where ther...

Sam Daniels’ father, Joseph, had dementia and was confused as the fire spread to their 16th floor flat. Today the Grenfell Tower Inquiry heard how Sam had to leave his father in the flat to look for help. Also, Branislav Lukic described how he escaped his flat on the 11th floor and rescued another Grenfell resident on his way down. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley...

Meron Mekonnen ignored stay put advice and escaped Grenfell tower with her partner and two young daughters. She had been told to get out by her aunt, Hiwot Dagnachew, who fled from the 5th floor. They describe making phone calls to a friend still trapped in the tower. Maher Khoudair also gave evidence. He told the inquiry how he walked down the stairs from his ninth floor flat on crutches. Produce...

Munira Mahmud left from her flat with their two young children, her husband and his elderly father. She described the last phone call she had with a close friend stuck on the 23rd floor. Nadia Jafari told of how she was separated from her 82-year-old father as they tried to escape the fire in a smoke-filled lift. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Olivia Beazley Contact us via ema...

One of the first people to escape Grenfell tower, Miguel Alves, ignored fire safety advice to stay put, saying it was like “waiting in a trap”. Plus, an 18th floor resident tells the inquiry the building was like a ‘ticking time bomb’. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Oliver Jones Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Antonio Roncolato and Fatima Alves – the first two survivors to give evidence to the inquiry – recount their experience on the night. Antonio was trapped in the tower until just after 6am and Fatima let the first firefighters into the building. Producers Kate Lamble and Elisabeth Mahy Researcher Oliver Jones Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Since June we’ve heard evidence from 82 firefighters. Many carried out rescues, others dealt with 999 calls and some took charge of the incident. In this edition of the podcast Eddie Mair pieces together some of the issues that have arisen. Producer Oliver Jones Contact us via email: grenfellpodcast@bbc.co.uk