The fire that engulfed a London tower block killing a presumed 79 people started in a Hotpoint fridge freezer, London police said on Friday, June 23.
Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said police were still working to confirm the exact number of lives claimed in the fire. So far only nine people have been formally identified as dead.
“I know that there is a fear that that number is a lot higher, and I do not want any hidden victims of this tragedy. Through our family liaison officers and local council networks, we are prioritizing establishing exactly who was in Grenfell Tower that night.”
McCormack said the Home Office will not use their investigation to check people’s immigration status and neither will the police.
Police are working with the Department of Energy, Business and Industrial Strategy, and Hotpoint to investigate the safety of the fridge that is being blamed for causing the blaze.
“We know this fire wasn’t started deliberately. And we know that the fridge freezer in this matter has never been subject to a product recall before,” said McCormack.
The fridge, a Hotpoint model, FF175BP, will be undergoing further tests, she said.
Another factor in the blaze is the insulation and tiles used in the cladding (material used for the outside facing of a building) of the building, which failed all post-fire safety checks, said police.
McCormack said she was concerned with the speed with which the fire spread through the building.
“Preliminary tests on the insulation samples collected from Grenfell Tower showed that they combusted soon after the test started. The initial test on the cladding tiles also failed the safety tests,” she said.
Data from those tests has been shared with the Department of Communities and other relevant departments, she said.
While the fire did start accidentally, any serious violation of health or safety regulations could result in charges being laid.
“We are looking at every criminal offense from manslaughter onward. We are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offense and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower,” said McCormack.
