The fire that ravaged the Grenfell Tower housing block in West London has finally been totally extinguished, the Metropolitan Police have announced.
Commander Stuart Cundy addressed a media conference in the shadow of the burned out tower, stating: "At this point in time there are no fires within the building.
"Our specialist investigators and experts have examined what we believe is the original location where the fire started and based on what we know, there is nothing to suggest at this time that the fire was started deliberately."
Credit: PA Images
Advert
Police also confirmed that the death toll relating to the fire has risen to 30 people. Seventy people are still missing and the number of victims is likely to rise, according the Metropolitan Police.
The first victim was named on Friday afternoon as Khadija Saye, a 24-year-old artist who lived on the 17th floor. She was a friend of Tottenham MP David Lammy, who tweeted: "God bless your beautiful soul. My heart breaks today. I mourn the tragic loss of a wonderful young woman."
There has been public outcry regarding the condition of Grenfell Tower and the fire safety standards in place in the building. The absence of a sprinkler system has been heavily criticised, as has the plastic cladding that was added to the facade of the tower in 2016.
Plastic cladding is outlawed in many countries due to a perceived high fire risk. The Grenfell Action Group, which represents residents of the tower, had complained before the fire about fire safety and had written blog posts in November 2016 warning of the dangers inherent in the tower. Emma Dent Coad, the newly-elected Labour MP for Kensington and Chelsea, described the fire as "entirely preventable".
Credit: PA Images
Advert
The managers of the building, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) and Kensington Council have come under particular attack. On Friday afternoon, protesters invaded Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall to present the council with a list of demands, including that those made homeless by the fire be rehoused within the borough.
The Queen visited survivors of the fire on Friday. Prime Minister Theresa May had attended on Thursday but failed to meet any members of the public or residents of the tower, drawing criticism in the press, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan was heckled when he arrived at the site.
Famous local residents such as Akala and Lily Allen spoke to media after the tragedy, with Allen accusing the government of "downplaying" the death toll and Akala stating that "these people died because they were poor."
Kensington is one of the wealthiest areas of London and indeed the United Kingdom, but there are still considerable pockets of deprivation, such as the Lancaster West estate that included Grenfell Tower.
Advert
Donations flooded in from around the country to aid those affected, with the London Evening Standard raising £2.2 million to help pay to replace items lost by uninsured victims. Drop-off points were inundated and eventually forced to take to social media to politely decline more donations.
Source: AFP, The Guardian, Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, NME
Featured Image Credit: PA Images