Hello and welcome to Central London when in two hours we will get that second and final report into the Grenfell Tower Fire disaster in which 72 people lost their lives a little over seven years ago. The inquiry has been running more than six years. The culmination of so much work. And, of course, some key people will look for answers and they include bereaved families, families and friends of the 72 people, the survivors of the fire as well as the wider Grenfell Tower community. I spoke to a survivor who told me that while today is important, it will not represent a point of closure for many people who are looking for action, consequences, accountability and a path towards possible prosecution. Some of the bereaved did not want this public inquiry to be the first step. They wanted a Police Investigation to be the first step. They will wait to hear what the chair of the inquiry will say today which might point possibly towards next steps. We will have many Reports Today and keep you up to date with developments ahead of the publication of the report at 11 and reaction. At first this from our home affairs editor. Every Day Nick Burton walks the dogs. He catches a glimpse of where his flat was. The top of Grenfell Tower. He escaped with his wife through choking smoke. gs tower. He escaped with his wife through choking smoke. 5 i through choking smoke. As i remember through choking smoke. As i remember coming through choking smoke. I remember coming out into the light, i remember being handed over and when i took my first real breath. I know i thought i would die at some stage. In the tower. I5 would die at some stage. In the tower... tower. Is that cough still from . I tower. Is that cough still from . I went tower. Is that cough still from . I went to tower. Is that cough still from . I went to the tower. Is that cough still l from . I went to the doctor tower. Is that cough still from . I went to the doctor the other day from . I went to the doctor the other day about from . I went to the doctor the other day about my from . I went to the doctor the other day about my car. From . I went to the doctor the other day about my car. We i from . I went to the doctor the | other day about my car. We call it the Grenfell Tower cough. I was seriously sick. Afterwards he and his was seriously sick. Afterwards he and his wife was seriously sick. Afterwards he and his wife spent was seriously sick. Afterwards he and his wife spent long he and his wife spent long stretches in hospital but for her the effects of the fire came on top of dementia. She died in 2018 and is regarded as the last and 72nd victim of Grenfell Tower. Irate the last and 72nd victim of Grenfell Tower. The last and 72nd victim of Grenfell Tower. We have been waitinu Grenfell Tower. We have been waiting seven Grenfell Tower. We have been waiting seven years Grenfell Tower. We have been waiting seven years to Grenfell Tower. We have been waiting seven years to find Grenfell Tower. We have been| waiting seven years to find out the facts. To tell the truth about these corporations. And theyre part they played in the fire... theyre part they played in the fire.... theyre part they played in the fire.... , theyre part they played in the fire. ,. fire. Good morning, welcome to the hearing fire. Good morning, welcome to the hearing. Getting fire. Good morning, welcome to the hearing. Getting to fire. Good morning, welcome to the hearing. Getting to that the hearing. Getting to that truth was the hearing. Getting to that truth was not the hearing. Getting to that truth was not easy. The hearing. Getting to that truth was not easy. At the hearing. Getting to that truth was not easy. At one | truth was not easy. At one point senior barrister to the inquiry showed his frustration. I invited the core participants not to i invited the core participants not to indulge in a Merry Go Round not to indulge in a Merry Go Round of not to indulge in a Merry Go Round of buckpassing and regrettably that has not been accepted. Regrettably that has not been acce ted.. accepted. The inquiry has concluded accepted. The inquiry has concluded that accepted. The inquiry has concluded that Cladding L accepted. The inquiry has concluded that cladding added in the disastrous Refurbishment Allowed Flames to spread rapidly. Today will explain how the Cladding And Insulation got there and why firefighters seemed unprepared to evacuate when they could not stop the fire. What training had you had to deal with the Cladding Fire . I had no training for a Cladding Fire. I had no training for a Cladding Fire. I had no training for a claddin fire... Cladding fire. What about a evacuating Cladding Fire. What about a evacuating whole Cladding Fire. What about a i evacuating whole building . Cladding fire. What about a evacuating whole building . No evacuating whole building . In . Training for that either. Do firefighters need more training . They need more training . They need more training for that definitely but systems need to be employed to make it a possibility. Aha, to make it a possibility. A likely Recommendation Today that Victims Want justice. Likely Recommendation Today that Victims Wantjustice. This woman lost her mother. She strongly argues prosecution should have come before the inquiry. It has delayed justice. All those people who should face criminal prosecutions have had a platform to trial their story. No charges are expected till the end of 2026 at the earliest, nearly ten years after Grenfell Tower. 0n earliest, nearly ten years after Grenfell Tower. On that horrific Night Injune 2017 and in the years since we have heard over and again Peoples Description on how the Flame Spread so quickly. Unbelievably quickly, they thought. 0ur Spread so quickly. Unbelievably quickly, they thought. Our Home Editor is with me and he was there on that night in the early hours. Before we talk more about today, give your recollections of that night first of all. I recollections of that night first of all. First of all. I arrived ust after dawn. I first of all. I arrived ust after dawn. The i first of all. I arrived just| after dawn. The building first of all. I arrived just after dawn. The building was still alight. Groups of people were watching. If there is a word that i remember was in my head and the heads of many that day is how . How could something like this happen in a developed 21st Century Britain . We watched a tower full of people burning in front of our eyes. We could see on occasion people waving from windows in desperation, holding up white cloth is. Groups of people standing around, many of whom had either escaped the building or new people who were in Grenfell Tower. You could see their faces were completely drawn. I vividly remember a moment where people were standing and someone came up and said something, gave them some news. And they visibly crumpled at that moment. It was that powerful emotion that was going on at that time. The word how, how could this happen . The prime minister at the time, theresa may, said it was unbelievable, unbelievable a tragedy like this could happen in a modern country. All kinds of questions, not only how could a building like this burn in the way it did, but there were more profound questions about the way in which the people who lived in that block had been ignored by wider society. Since then i think we have asked tough questions. We have asked tough questions. We have not got all the answers but asking tough questions about what lessons we have learned. .. learned. And the how, that question. Learned. And the how, that question, that learned. And the how, that question, that is learned. And the how, that question, that is what learned. And the how, that question, that is what the l question, that is what the second phase of the inquiry has been about. The first part telling the narrative of the night. This has been about what conditions led to this. How important is the second report . 0bviously hugely significant. It is more than seven years since that fire. Theresa may told the commons a week after the blaze she wanted quick answers, we needed to learn the lessons immediately. Guilty party she said should have nowhere to hide yet here we are seven years on and we are still not quite sure how to answer the how question. We will get answers today. I think there will be detailed in this report. What is missing i think is that justice report. What is missing i think is thatjustice part. In the days after Grenfell Tower, i remember a lot of people were still unaccounted for. Their photographs were posted on Lamp Posts in the area as you wandered around the shadow of Grenfell Tower at that time. These faces were staring out from all over the place. They were accusing, saying we want answers and Justice And Justice for grenfell became the rallying cry. While this inquiry is not a court of law, i think there had been a hopeless moment, the final Inquiry Publication would be a point at which we could start prosecuting those people because the police know there are 58 individuals, 90 organisations 19 organisations 19 organisations that could face criminal sanctions, yet we are told it could be another three years before we are likely to see anyone convicted of anything related to grenfell. We heard from the Crown Prosecution Service and police not to expect anything immediately. It not to expect anything immediately. Immediately. It is a complicated immediately. It is a | complicated inquiry. Immediately. It is a complicated inquiry. Forensic experts were inside the charred hulk of grenfell for 415 days searching through the wreckage looking for clues that might be able to help them. You have 100 and something thousand pictures, interviews, millions, i cannot remember, but millions of files have been looked at, legal documents. It is a massively complicated inquiry. When we get down to it, i think this will be the sense we get from some survivors and families today. Why the heck has it taken this long. And as i say it will be another three years before we get what many would regard as properjustice for grenfell. Irate would regard as proper ustice for grenfell. For grenfell. We are talking a decade after for grenfell. We are talking a decade after the for grenfell. We are talking a decade after the fire. For grenfell. We are talking a decade after the fire. The for grenfell. We are talking a L Decade after the fire. The lead counsel to the inquiry, there was a striking phrase he used. When he was going through and listening to the testimony and he talked about the Merry Go Round of buckpassing. There was would you say a culture of that is not myjob, or a reaction that is not my job from the many involved in various parts of the work . To try to determine where responsibility lay for checking materials were compliant with safety guidelines. I materials were compliant with safety guidelines. Safety guidelines. I think you are right safety guidelines. I think you are right. There safety guidelines. I think you are right. There are safety guidelines. I think you are right. There are two are right. There are two points. There clearly was confusion as to exactly where responsibility lay in respect of ensuring that building was properly safe and managed. And i think that will form a significant part of the inquiry. There was also a sense that all of those involved have to understand the sanctions for behaving wrongly in this case are really very severe. Life imprisonment, a minimum of 12 years. For many of those individuals who found themselves caught up in this and may have been culpable in many ways, there is a severe sanction potentially for them but as we have been discussing, it is a sanction that will not happen until probably ten years after that terrible, terrible fire killed 72 people. We do not know fire killed 72 people. We do not know what fire killed 72 people. We do not know what sanctions i fire killed 72 people. We do i not know what sanctions there may be. We have to wait for a Police Investigation and the cps to look at that and first to wait to see what the chair of the inquiry says today. Thank you. Mark will be with me throughout the day for more analysis. I should throughout the day for more analysis. Ishould mention throughout the day for more analysis. I should mention in terms of what we are doing here and let you know that you will understand how difficult and traumatic this is for so many people connected to grenfell. Where you hear interviews when i talk to people about the night, we will have as part of our duty of Care Talk to them beforehand to establish what they are comfortable talking about. I wanted to make that clear. It is important to make transparent to you today. One of my colleagues spent hundreds if not thousands of hours inside this building listening to the testimony and evidence. She produced a documentary and podcast. Grenfell building a disaster. She knows about the events that surrounded this disaster. Here is her report looking at the timeline of that night and what led up to the fire. fire. The fire at Grenfell Tower was fire. The fire at Grenfell Tower was reported i fire. The fire at Grenfell Tower was reported at i fire. The fire at grenfell i tower was reported at 12. 54 when someone phoned 999 to report a fire in his kitchen in flat 16 on the fourth floor. Phase one of the inquiry would later determine the fire was caused by a faulty Fridge Freezer in the kitchen of that flat. Within six minutes of the first 999 call, firefighters arrived on the scene at Grenfell Tower. Flames broke out of the flat and spread up the outside of the east face. Rapidly climbing the building. It was the buildings cladding, fitted as part of the recent establishment that has been identified as the primary cause of the rapid Fire Spread. By 1. 14 am, firefighters entered the kitchen and began efforts to extinguish the flames. Around 30 minutes after the initial 999 call the fire on which the roof reach the Roof And Spread around the top of the building. It climbed 19 flaws in 18 minutes. The top floors of the building, residents were seen waving from their windows, residents were seen waving from theirwindows, using their windows, using flashlights and theirwindows, using flashlights and Mobile Phones to signalfor help. Flashlights and Mobile Phones to signal for help. Inside the building, the hallways and stairwell which was the only means of escape had begun to fill with thick black toxic smoke. 0utside, plastic within the cladding melted and ripped when it burned, starting fires lower down the building. By 2. 33 in the morning the Fire Spread to three sides of the building. Firefighters were having difficulties going above the 15th floor. Many were advised they would be safest to remain in their flats. Advised they would be safest to remain in theirflats. This so called Stay Put Policy was revoked by the London Fire brigade after 2. 35 and residents were instructed to get out. However by this point, some 63 flats were on fire and more than 100 people remained in the building. By 4. 00 in the morning the fire had wrapped itself entirely around the outside of the tower and there was no further contact with residents above the 14th floor. Firefighters continue to try to contain the blaze but fears grew of structure collapsing. By grew of structure collapsing. By five it had been reduced to a charred shell with thick smoke pouring from the structure. At 8. 07 the last survivor was evacuated, a Blind Pensioner who was trapped in his flat for eight hours. The blaze finally burnt out at 1. 14 am on thursday, over 24 hours after it began. I am on thursday, over 24 hours after it began. After it began. I mentioned earlier i spoke after it began. I mentioned earlier i spoke to after it began. I mentioned earlier i spoke to one i after it began. I mentioned i earlier i spoke to one survivor earlier i spoke to one survivor earlier this week. That was emma 0connor. She and her partner lived on the 20th Floor of Grenfell Tower. They actually came down in the lift. Emma had Mobility Issues. They got out early and came down in the lift. Emma told me her story and told me about how she reacted to news of a fire in a Tower Block in dagenham in East London a few weeks ago and how it brought everything back, how it brought everything back, how it made her Feel. It brought everything back, how it made herFeel. I it brought everything back, how it made her Feel. It made her Feel. I am physically it made her Feel. I am physically sick. I it made her Feel. I am physically sick. Here | it made her Feel. I am i physically sick. Here we go again. And when are they going to wake up . I was constantly watching the news, waiting for any Press Release which thankfully everyone was accounted for. 50 thankfully everyone was accounted for. Thankfully everyone was accounted for. So it brought ou accounted for. So it brought you back accounted for. So it brought you back to accounted for. So it brought you back to the accounted for. So it brought you back to the night i accounted for. So it brought you back to the night of you back to the night of grenfell. You and your partner got out of the tower early. We got out of the tower early. We got out of the tower early. We got out at one in the morning. We exited the flat around 1. 19. There was already wispy smoke on our floor. There was already wispy smoke on ourfloor. We there was already wispy smoke on our floor. We locked the door as usual. He took his Pizza Box to the bin shoot. And then he got a puff of black thick smoke that he inhaled. And then we entered the lift. Went downstairs. And stopped at the 11th floor. Then the third and then the ground, which on cctv, you can see me ridiculously smiling until we get to the ground and then my Facial Expression changed. You did not realise Facial Expression changed. You did not realise at Facial Expression changed. You did not realise a