The final report into the Grenfell Tower fire has exposed shocking emails and text messages showing that companies involved in the refurbishment knew their products were dangerous and deliberately hid safety information. The inquiry found that unsuitable cladding from French firm Arconic was the principal reason flames spread up the 24-storey block, killing 72 people in June 2017.
Internal communications revealed that Claude Wehrle, a technical manager at Arconic, admitted in 2010 that the company was 'not clean' regarding fire safety. The firm had passed a cladding fire test in 2005 but failed a later test when panels were bent to hang from a wall. Arconic did not disclose the failed test when seeking certification from the British Board of Agreement in 2008.
At insulation firm Kingspan, development director Phillip Heath told a colleague: 'All we do is lie here.' In another message, he said contractors raising concerns could 'go f*** themselves'. Kingspan relied on a single 2005 fire test that was not representative of typical wall systems, and continued to use it after changing its K15 insulation composition in 2006.
An employee at insulation firm Celotex stated in an email that their product 'would burn' in a fire. Meanwhile, bosses at renovation contractor Rydon joked about being 'quids in' over the multi-million pound project. The inquiry chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, concluded the disaster was 'entirely avoidable' and resulted from 'decades of failure'.
