Dozens could be charged over Grenfell fire, police say

British police will ask prosecutors to lay charges against 57 people and 20 organizations over the Grenfell Tower fire, almost a decade after the deadliest blaze in Britain’s modern history that killed dozens of people.

The Metropolitan Police said evidence files will be submitted to prosecutors by the end of September and charging decisions will be made by June 14, 2027, the tenth anniversary of the London tragedy that killed 72 people.

Grieving families and survivors said any further delay in justice would be unacceptable. A damning public inquiry found the deaths were preventable and that a combination of dishonest companies, incompetent regulators and government failures led to the building being covered in flammable cladding.

“We have waited almost a decade for accountability,” said Grenfell United, a group representing some bereaved families.

“No family should have to wait more than 10 years to get justice for their loved ones, if it ever happens.”

Police said the offenses assessed included corporate gross negligence, manslaughter, fraud and health and safety breaches.

He said authorities collected 165 million electronic files and examined the role of 15,000 individuals and 700 organizations involved in the investigation, making it the largest and most complex investigation police have ever undertaken.

The fire at Grenfell Tower broke out in a fourth-floor flat in the early hours of June 14, 2017, and raced towards the 25-storey public housing building like a burning fuse, fueled by flammable cladding panels on the external walls.

It was Britain’s worst fire disaster since World War II, and the victims included pensioners and 18 children.

The public inquiry in 2024 said companies doing the tower’s cladding used cheap and unsafe materials, committed “systematic fraud” and that failures were made worse by indifferent officials who did not adequately enforce safety standards.