Witness statements from bereaved, survivors and residents read into the record. Includes Neda Mangobah (33 years in flat 116), Alejandro Serrano and Roberts Villains (flat 114), Shannon Lacey (new tenant in flat 65, just 9 days before fire), and Wyndham Tamez (flat 26 directly above flat 16). Common themes: no fire safety information, window gap problems, cheap replacement doors.
00:00:07 yes mr. millet mr. chairman we're going to resume the evidence this afternoon by some reading in to the record of witness statements from bereaved survivors and
00:00:19 statements from bereaved survivors and residents thank you can we start with the statement of Neda mango bah and this has a an inquiry reference of iws quadruple zero one zero a four she was a
00:00:35 quadruple zero one zero a four she was a resident of flat one one six on floor 14 and according to the CCTV she exited at bow 129 her statement is dated the 17th
00:00:48 bow 129 her statement is dated the 17th of September 2018 and it carries a statement of truth at page six
00:00:57 she lived in Grantville tower at flat one one six at the time of the fire and had lived there for 33 years having moved in there in july 1985 she says in
00:01:11 moved in there in july 1985 she says in paragraph 4 that she knew the man who lived in flat one-one-one his name was Dennis she was friendly and my son Marlon really liked him he had lived on our floor for many years I also knew the
00:01:23 our floor for many years I also knew the family in flat one one three and often spoke to the woman whose name was Rosemarie and then she says at paragraphs six through to nine and I'll
00:01:34 paragraphs six through to nine and I'll read this in full I was not given any instruction or advice about fire safety in the building either in person or in writing I'm not aware of and of the London Fire Brigade carrying out any
00:01:46 London Fire Brigade carrying out any fire safety checks I did not see any signs in the communal hallway or inside the flat regarding what residents should do in the event of the fire I did not see any fire extinguishers or water
00:01:57 see any fire extinguishers or water sprinklers in the building at no point was there any discussion about installing water sprinklers when the refurbishment took place the work was shabby and unprofessional at all stages
00:02:08 shabby and unprofessional at all stages of the work our windows were so replaced before we had single glazed windows which you open by sliding across the frames were sturdy made of metal with wooden partitions underneath the
00:02:20 with wooden partitions underneath the new double glazed windows were slightly smaller than the old ones and could be opened slightly on a latch or if you took the latch off they opened inwards they were made of flimsier material than
00:02:31 they were made of flimsier material than the old window frames I was at home when they were installed the builders put in foam insulation covered it with foil and the foil in turn was covered with plastic I could tell but the windows in
00:02:42 plastic I could tell but the windows in my flat but not sealed properly as I could hear wind whistling through the frames even when the windows were closed I complained to Raiden and they came and put more filler in but she could still hear the wind and feel the draft the
00:02:56 hear the wind and feel the draft the paragraph 13 just picking it up there she says occasionally they were electricity surges and also sometimes no electricity in the tower during the day she deals with the night of the fire mr.
00:03:09 she deals with the night of the fire mr. chairman at paragraph 17 in following and I'll just read 17 through 221 on the night of the 13th of June 2017 I was at home with my son and my husband was also
00:03:22 home with my son and my husband was also staying over that night our son Marlon was dings GCSE exams and had an exam the next day he went to bed around 10:45 p.m. as did my husband I watched some TV
00:03:33 p.m. as did my husband I watched some TV and around midnight I went to bed I think I fell asleep almost immediately I woke to the noise of the alarm I jumped out of my bed I ran to the sitting room
00:03:45 out of my bed I ran to the sitting room and I could see out of the window that there was a fire blazing outside I immediately went into the kitchen and I could see that there was even more fire blazing outside my kitchen window I could see orange and yellow flames
00:03:57 could see orange and yellow flames shooting up the outside of the tower I thought to myself I have to turn off all the plugs in the kitchen one of my kitchen windows had an extractor fan fitted into the glass panel as I went
00:04:09 fitted into the glass panel as I went further into my kitchen there was a loud noise like a pop and the extractor fan and the glass in the window smashed into my kitchen it just missed me falling on me I was so afraid for my son
00:04:21 me I was so afraid for my son myself I ran out of the kitchen into the hall my husband was running as well into the sitting-room and the kitchen looking at the flames we then went into the bedroom he was dressed he said to me
00:04:34 bedroom he was dressed he said to me come on let's get out of here he had woken up my son who was getting dressed and not really aware of the seriousness of the fire I know that I was not thinking straight I did not want to
00:04:45 thinking straight I did not want to leave my home without our passports our son and husband were at the door of the flat telling me to come I could not recall where I had placed our passports then suddenly I remembered and grabbed them I then saw smoke coming into the
00:04:57 them I then saw smoke coming into the bedroom I had to cover my nose as the smoke was already there and it was black the smell was unpleasantly bitter I was still in my nitrous as we left my home we literally ran out of the flat and
00:05:10 we literally ran out of the flat and down the stairs I could smell smoke all the way down but did not see any smoke in the stairway when we got to the ground floor s or firemen coming into the tower we were told to keep moving
00:05:21 the tower we were told to keep moving and to get out we went around to the side by the leisure center there were lots of other residents standing there looking up at the fire I looked up and saw bright orange and yellow flames on both sides of the building thick black
00:05:34 both sides of the building thick black smoke was coming from the flames I could see all my windows on fire and chunks of the building falling down the flames were going up the sides of the building in in lines very fast had every floor
00:05:47 in in lines very fast had every floor was burning and smoke and flames coming from every window mr. chairman the rest of the statement will of course stand in the record and as all statements will be taken into into account in its entirety
00:06:00 taken into into account in its entirety as evidence to the inquiry thank you the next statement I would wish to read into the record is the statement of alejandro serrano the reference to that is IW s
00:06:13 serrano the reference to that is IW s quinn tuple 0 8 5 3 and it's under a statement of truth dated the 19th of May 2018 which is to be found on page 11 of
00:06:25 2018 which is to be found on page 11 of the statement
00:06:30 mr. serrano lived at flat one 1/4 on floor 14 as he says in his statement at the time of the fire he was in Seville in Spain visiting his family and his
00:06:42 in Spain visiting his family and his flatmate Roberts Whillans whose statement we also haven't who's I shall read next was also with him he explains in his statement that he came to the UK permanently in 1989 and moved
00:06:55 to the UK permanently in 1989 and moved into Grenfell in around 2000 he lived there with his ex-partner and very good friend Robert fill-ins and they lived there for a number of years and he moved in permanently in 2006 and they lived
00:07:07 in permanently in 2006 and they lived there together until the fire he describes the paragraph 7 and 8 his relationship was him with his neighbors
00:07:18 relationship was him with his neighbors and his relationship with his flat he says he was very very happy in the tower and he described as fat as his little capsule protecting me from the outside world
00:07:28 world the paragraph 12 if I can pick this up he says this I was never given any information about fire safety either in the beginning when I moved in or later on I did not see any signs information
00:07:41 on I did not see any signs information leaflets or anything else about fire safety I didn't even know where the fire exits were after the refurbishment because I have difficulties with stairs and I never used them I was not aware nor made aware of how to escape the
00:07:53 nor made aware of how to escape the building in the event of a fire I think that had I been there at the time of the fire I would have stayed in the flat as a result I truly believed that I would not have survived the fire my instinct
00:08:05 not have survived the fire my instinct would have been to leave the tower as soon as possible but my condition is such that I think I would have stayed in my flat and then picking it up if I
00:08:16 my flat and then picking it up if I Karen at paragraph 23 on page 6 there are two or three paragraphs I should read there on the lifts and stairs at 23 he says I always went up in the lift I never used the stairs it was probably
00:08:28 never used the stairs it was probably more than five years ago the last time I used the stairs even after a refurbishment the lift was constantly broken on two or three occasions both of the lifts were broken and instead of going up the stairs I would go away
00:08:39 going up the stairs I would go away couple of hours and come back when the lift was fixed it was damaged as far as I understand by the refurbishment the noise in the shakiness and the stability of the lift became worse after the works took place
00:08:50 took place sometimes it was taking days I sometimes was in the flat for days at a time before the refurbishment we weren't having as many problems with the lifts they never wanted to replace it I was more reluctant to go out because of the
00:09:01 more reluctant to go out because of the chance of the lift would be broken by the time I came home it was a psychological barrier for me and I was in the flat more using the lifts was very unpleasant for me and I was worried about getting stuck inside on the doors
00:09:14 about getting stuck inside on the doors the paragraph 24 he says our front door was replaced as part of the refurbishment program it changed from a heavy wooden door to a plastic one but a very cheap looking plastic one a very
00:09:25 very cheap looking plastic one a very heavy to open and closed it had a letterbox on it which sprang shut almost violently when you took your hand out of it it all looked pure plastic very ugly and cheap like the window frames it had a draft trick excluder on the bottom of
00:09:37 a draft trick excluder on the bottom of it but it did not have an automatic door closer all internal doors were opened and closed I believe that they were the original 1970s doors but they all worked all doors were opened most of the time
00:09:48 all doors were opened most of the time except the bedroom door was closed but the rest were open the bathroom door was open when it was unoccupied and then under windows a paragraph 28 he said I remember clearly that if you put your
00:10:00 remember clearly that if you put your hand underneath the outside lip of the window sill you could feel wind and cold coming from it we never complained about the windows in the end we were so tired of complaining and nothing happened that we didn't bother they weren't going to
00:10:12 we didn't bother they weren't going to do anything about it no one was going to give a new window so he didn't bother I now understand that it was one of the ways the fire came into the flat when they came to refurbish the flat and replace the windows I was there the wind
00:10:24 replace the windows I was there the wind day became recessed after the refurbishment and there was a significant lift between the outside of the window and the cladding on the outside of the building I saw that there was a wide window sill installed which was attached to the cladding via the
00:10:35 was attached to the cladding via the window they put yellowy orange jellies type stuff between the cladding and the window sill but I do not know the purpose for this I don't need to read the rest
00:10:47 and again mr. chairman the rest of the statement will stand as mr. Serrano his evidence in the record and be taken to account in full and although I probably don't need to say that in relation to
00:10:59 don't need to say that in relation to every statement it is right that the makers of the statement know that on each and every occasion of course thank you we then turned to the next stage which is that of mr. Roberts villains which is I WS Quinn tuple zero eight
00:11:11 which is I WS Quinn tuple zero eight five four his statement is dated and signed on the 20th of May 2018 and it stands under a statement of truth at page eight mr. shillin's lived also in
00:11:23 page eight mr. shillin's lived also in flat one one four on the fourteenth floor with Alejandra Serrano and he like mr. Serrano was also absent on the night of the fire being in Spain and I could
00:11:36 of the fire being in Spain and I could just pick up his evidence the paragraphs nine to eleven he says at 9:00 under the heading concerns about fire safety I recall seeing a poster on the walls in the communal areas I cannot recall
00:11:47 the communal areas I cannot recall specifically where regarding fire safety I read it there's naturally a fire in the building did cross my mind given the number of floors the poster said we should not leave the flat in the case of fire and we should remain where we were
00:11:59 fire and we should remain where we were those posters were not there before the refurbishment work it occurred to me that it was not a particularly sensible idea but I do not know what may have happened if I was there that evening my first instinct would be to attempt to
00:12:11 first instinct would be to attempt to leave there at paragraphs 10 and 11 he deals with the stairs the lift and the stairs he says 10 the lift did not feel safe notwithstanding that one of the two
00:12:22 safe notwithstanding that one of the two was almost always broken when I went up in the lift it felt dangerous it shook when it was moving or it would stop halfway between two floors occasionally and the doors would open not out of
00:12:33 and the doors would open not out of Florida not at a floor and you had to keep pressing buttons until the lift started to move again as a result I started to use the stairs that is when I noticed that when you get to the new quote-unquote floor 3 the renovations
00:12:46 quote-unquote floor 3 the renovations were amongst other things to put new flats in three other previously non-residential floors you think you're going to get out of the building but you actually have to go down one more floor to get out it was like a labyrinth to
00:12:57 to get out it was like a labyrinth to get to the main exit there was a heavy door locked with a fob to get out of the main entrance of the tower if he did not have a fob he would be left in the tower stuck inside the
00:13:09 be left in the tower stuck inside the paragraph 16 mr. chairman he deals specifically with the front door to flat one 1/4 he says a front door was changed during the refurbishment the slam shut system was the primary difference when
00:13:20 system was the primary difference when they opened the door wide it was slam shut automatically but it would not shut if it was ajar or any slightly open the new door was made of different material the first door would and the second door
00:13:31 the first door would and the second door was plastic the new door had a draft excluder on the bottom of it both Alejandra and I remarked that it felt cheaper or of lower quality our first thought was always that it was downgraded behind the veneer of it being
00:13:43 downgraded behind the veneer of it being new it did have a letterbox that sprang shut when use used and it worked
00:13:53 and again the statement stands in its entirety as evidence to the inquiry and will be taken into account the next
00:14:04 will be taken into account the next statement I would wish to read into the record mr. chairman is is that of Shannon Lacey her statement is under the reference iws Quinn tuple 0 8 1 8 and
00:14:15 reference iws Quinn tuple 0 8 1 8 and she has a number of exhibits as well which are respectively 8 8 0 7 8 0 9 8 0 10 sorry 8 8 10 8 11 8 12 8 13 814 8 15
00:14:31 10 sorry 8 8 10 8 11 8 12 8 13 814 8 15 and 8 16 respectively SL 1 2 SL 9 she lived at flat 65 on floor 9 and we have
00:14:43 lived at flat 65 on floor 9 and we have an exit time for her of o2 19 a.m. miss lacy
00:14:49 lacy that worked worked out and works as a as a delivery coordinator and she had a daughter at the time of the fire and she
00:15:01 daughter at the time of the fire and she signed a secure tenancy agreement as she says that paragraph 5 4 flat 65 with our bkc on the 1st of June 2017 and was given the keys to the flat we finally
00:15:13 given the keys to the flat we finally moved in she says around Sunday the 5th of June 2017 which was nine days before the fire and she goes on to explain we had not even fully unpacked at the time of the fire at paragraph 11 she says
00:15:30 of the fire at paragraph 11 she says dealing with the door question the door front door was white there were no issues or damage when we moved in the door was attached to the door frame by three hinges and we had a sprung letterbox I did not remember any gaps
00:15:41 letterbox I did not remember any gaps between the door of the door frame or it being drafty but we moved in during the summer so I would not have noticed this I'm not sure if the front door was self closing and that paragraph 14 under the
00:15:55 closing and that paragraph 14 under the heading fire safety she says this on the 5th of June 2017 I was meant to have a meeting with the tenant management organisation TMO to go through the relevant paperwork and
00:16:06 to go through the relevant paperwork and talk through health and safety stroke fire safety issues however the relevant person was on annual leave and the intention was that this meeting would be rescheduled at no stage did anyone give
00:16:17 rescheduled at no stage did anyone give me any advice on what to do in the event of a fire all that I was given was the general TMO number a leaflet on the tenancy agreement and insurances and some contact numbers for energy and
00:16:29 some contact numbers for energy and electricity suppliers I did not remember any signs posters or any other information about fire safety in the communal area or in my flat at Greenville tower but I was not really
00:16:40 Greenville tower but I was not really paying that much attention I was too busy moving into my new home with the help of family and friends I did not really have any fire safety concerns I was unaware of other residents concerns about the recent refurbishment and had
00:16:52 about the recent refurbishment and had no idea that a fire could spread so quickly until after the fire at Granville Tower and then just two paragraphs under the heading lifts and communal stairs she says on the 5th of
00:17:04 communal stairs she says on the 5th of June 2017 the move was really difficult because the left lift was out of order which meant that we could only use the right one as I was moving to the ninth floor we needed to use the lift but of course other people in the block did too
00:17:15 course other people in the block did too we used the stairs a lot that day the left lift was working again shortly after 5th of June it was definitely that week and may well have been the next day there were no further problems with the lifts that I was aware of
00:17:30 and then at paragraph 28 and following she covers her experience of the night of the fire child I read she says I was at home with my daughter all evening we
00:17:42 at home with my daughter all evening we usually go to bed around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. I would set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. and get up at 6:00 a.m. for work at some point after I'd gone to sleep I was
00:17:53 point after I'd gone to sleep I was woken by a loud bang it sounded like an explosion like an old car I thought the noise had come from the tower but not from my floor it sounded as if it was a few floors away but I
00:18:04 as if it was a few floors away but I could not tell if it was from above or below I thought someone was having a party I was not sure what time this was but I ignored it and went back to sleep thinking about what jobs I had to do the
00:18:15 thinking about what jobs I had to do the next day I was woken up again by a very heavy and frantic banging at the front door I checked my phone and saw that it was about 1:30 a.m. I was not sure
00:18:26 was about 1:30 a.m. I was not sure whether I should answer the door given the time of the night but I decided to see what was going on I rushed but my clothes and glasses on before heading to the front door which would have taken a few minutes I'm not tall enough to look
00:18:38 few minutes I'm not tall enough to look out of the spy hole so I went to open the front door very cautiously there was no one there but I was shocked to see smoke filling the communal landing there had been no smoke in my flat before I
00:18:49 had been no smoke in my flat before I opened the front door I could hear muffled voices but I could not see anyone I shouted out and waited by the door hoping someone would come and quickly there was a wall a very thick
00:19:01 quickly there was a wall a very thick black smoke which caught the back of my throat and I started to cough I could not see anything I was very scared and did not want to venture further into the communal area whilst my front door was
00:19:13 communal area whilst my front door was open my smoke alarm sounded in my hall I did not hear any other alarms eventually I saw a fireman coming towards me and then another followed they were both wearing breathing equipment which they
00:19:24 wearing breathing equipment which they took off when they came into my flat I think this was say not to scare my daughter who had now woken up I remember the firemen face firemen faces were red and sweaty one of them
00:19:35 faces were red and sweaty one of them told me there was a fire in the building and they believed it was above us on the 10th floor other firefighters came into the flat
00:19:41 the flat and we're looking out of the window assessing the situation at one point there was a suggestion that we should escape through the windows I'm afraid of heights they didn't want to do that we
00:19:52 heights they didn't want to do that we were told the breathing equipment was coming up for us both so we could get one so we could get out one farm and asked if I wanted them to go with other firefighters to get this or wait with us I asked him to wait with us
00:20:03 I asked him to wait with us so to farm and stay behind I did not remember if the fireman told me their names if they did I did not remember them up until this point I'd been reasonably calm but I started to get more agitated and was pacing up and down
00:20:16 more agitated and was pacing up and down in the living room I looked out of one of the North facing windows which looked over the kids playground towards the Aldridge Academy school and saw burning debris I did not see the building on fire but I looked out of the west-facing
00:20:28 fire but I looked out of the west-facing windows I could not see the burning debris all that the building was on fire but there were a lot of people gathering below taking pictures and videos with their mobiles I could also see them being moved back I started to feel
00:20:41 being moved back I started to feel really scared at this point I just wanted to get out whilst we were waiting for the firefighters to return with breathing apparatus I got ready to leave with my daughter and put on our shoes
00:20:52 with my daughter and put on our shoes I thought about packing a bag with my essential documents but in the end I left with only my phone and keys it also would not have been practicable with an oxygen tank on my back I gave the to
00:21:04 oxygen tank on my back I gave the to Furman who stayed with us bottles of water the two firemen put something against the bottom of the front door to stop smoke coming in I remember there was some dark grey smoke from the communal landing that had come into our
00:21:16 communal landing that had come into our hallway but it was above head height at the top of the ceiling I do not remember any radio communication between the firefighters whilst they were with us around 15 minutes later the other firefighters
00:21:28 minutes later the other firefighters returned with the breathing equipment fought for us it felt like an eternity but I was very grateful to the firefighters that stayed with us and came back for us the firemen helped my daughter put on her mask I had an oxygen tank and
00:21:41 her mask I had an oxygen tank and plastic mask that covered my entire face my glasses did not fit underneath so I had to take them off so I was not able to see very well the only instruction I was given by the farm was that the apparatus was heavy and I
00:21:53 was that the apparatus was heavy and I should stay calm one of the five firemen carry my daughter out and I followed when we entered onto the communal landing the smoke was even worse than before there was so much thick black
00:22:05 before there was so much thick black smoke everywhere I was clinging on to one of the farm and feeling the walls to help guide me to the stairs I do not remember if the door to the stairwell was open or shut but when we entered the stairwell it was full of smoke I
00:22:17 stairwell it was full of smoke I continued to hold on to the fireman with my right hand just above his elbow and clung to the banister with my left hand I have no idea if the other flats on my landing had already been evacuated I did
00:22:29 landing had already been evacuated I did not hear of my neighbors and I did not hear any of my neighbors whilst on the ninth floor landing the fireman carrying my daughter was a lot quicker than I was as soon as they exited the flat onto the
00:22:40 as soon as they exited the flat onto the ninth floor landing I did not see my daughter again until ground level I could not see without my glasses so the firemen had to guide me down the stairs and I was very slow and frightened I had
00:22:53 and I was very slow and frightened I had to feel for the steps to make sure I was stepping in the right place I did not want to fall down those stairs at one point I almost slipped on what I thought was a fireman's hose but I'm not a 100% sure as I could not see anything I also
00:23:06 sure as I could not see anything I also do not remember being conscious of any debris or rubbish on the stairs the says were not wet and there were no sprinklers we kept moving but I was very slow the combination of the smoke and my
00:23:17 slow the combination of the smoke and my eyesight meant I could only see an outline of the fireman guiding me down it was very smoky so I could not tell if the lights were working or not we passed people on the stairs but I'm not sure
00:23:28 people on the stairs but I'm not sure who they were whether they were going up or down or where we passed them the smoke was the same level of thickness in the stairwell until we until we reached the mezzanine level and the smoke
00:23:39 the mezzanine level and the smoke cleared on the ground floor I was handed over to some other firemen I understand the CCTV footage from the tower shows my daughter exiting the main door of grenfell tower at 2:00 1839 and I am
00:23:51 grenfell tower at 2:00 1839 and I am captured in the foyer at 2:00 1944 I was reunited with my daughter and the firefighters guided us towards the side of Kensington Leisure Centre a estimator
00:24:02 of Kensington Leisure Centre a estimator took about 50 minutes to reach ground level from my flat and I should just pick up her gratitude to the London Fire Brigade at
00:24:13 gratitude to the London Fire Brigade at paragraph 48 she says at the bottom of the page page 8 the firemen were amazing they saved my daughter's life and mine I cannot thank them enough for they had done this and like the other statements
00:24:25 done this and like the other statements mr. chairman miss Lacy's statement will stand as her evidence to the record and be taken into account in its entirety yes thank you the next litmus statement that I would wish to read into the record for you mr.
00:24:37 wish to read into the record for you mr. chairman is the statement of mr. Wyndham Tamez again that is I WS Quint tuple 0 3 8 2 that state of the 20th of May 2018
00:24:54 8 2 that state of the 20th of May 2018 and bears a statement of truth at page 14 within the statement he was a a resident of flat 26 on the fifth floor and exited at oh one twenty seven he
00:25:09 and exited at oh one twenty seven he moved in to Grenville tower in 2011 and joined his partner here what Dagny Chu and their two children he's been living in the fire since 2004 living in the
00:25:21 in the fire since 2004 living in the tower since 2004 and their flat as he says at paragraph three was directly above flat 16 on the fourth floor but she understands to have been the source of the fire in the early hours of 2000
00:25:34 of the fire in the early hours of 2000 years 14th of June 2017 that paragraph 9 he says I was not provided with any information about fire safety when I moved into the tower or at any time thereafter he also expressed his concern
00:25:50 thereafter he also expressed his concern at paragraph 13 about the electricity he experienced at paragraph 18 if I could just read this he says this I also had
00:26:03 just read this he says this I also had concerns about the replacement windows which the contractors installed as they were smaller than the original windows and left gaps around all of the edges of the window frame and the wall both who-what and I were at home
00:26:14 who-what and I were at home when the windows were being replaced and we could seek the gaps around the edges when the new windows were installed the contractors filled the gaps around the edges with a foam material covered in foil
00:26:25 foil they then covered the foam with a plastic frame the problem this caused us was that a draft was now coming into the flat through the gaps underneath the window ledges in the kitchen living room and both bedrooms for example we could
00:26:38 and both bedrooms for example we could feel the draft whilst we were sat on our safer in the living room the draft was strong enough to noticeably move the net curtains inside are flat the gaps underneath the window ledges in the kitchen living room and both bedrooms
00:26:50 kitchen living room and both bedrooms were large enough for me to fit my fingers through then a paragraph of 19 he goes on to explain the reporting of the issues and in the fourth line down the fifth line down he says I cannot
00:27:02 the fifth line down he says I cannot remember the dates of the visits but I think they were all within a space of a few months they use something to fill the gaps but I cannot remember what this was and they then covered this with a sealant we would then we would speak
00:27:14 sealant we would then we would speak generally with the workers and we were able to communicate with them just fine but we did not discuss our concerns with the worker each time they came they filled the gaps with sealant but this was not effective as the draft was still
00:27:25 was not effective as the draft was still coming through and this was why they had to keep coming back this issue was finally resolved after the fourth visit and and then mr. chairman from
00:27:36 and and then mr. chairman from paragraphs 25 onwards he covers the morning of the 14th of June and I'll read parts of that to you he says this I now understand that the fire started at
00:27:47 now understand that the fire started at 12:54 a.m. in the early hours of the morning of the 14th of June 2017 I was asleep by then and I was woken up by Hill Watts screaming fire fire there is a fire we need to leave the children
00:27:59 is a fire we need to leave the children were also sleeping and then I've been working out by hey what's screaming she said the fire was in the kitchen I cannot remember the time I jumped out of bed and ran straight into the straight
00:28:10 bed and ran straight into the straight to the kitchen to see whether or not it was something which I could handle myself
00:28:13 myself I opened the kitchen door and found the kitchen was full of smoke and I could see the whole window area of the kitchen and the top part of the kitchen blinds engulfed in flames
00:28:24 engulfed in flames the bottom of the blinds were on fire on the floor the kitchen window was open the fire was an orange color and it looked uncontrollable and I immediately pulled the kitchen door shut and told everyone to get out of the flat
00:28:36 everyone to get out of the flat smoke alarm which was on the ceiling of the kitchen had not gone off despite the kitchen being full of smoke there was also a smoke alarm in the hallway and this did not go off either and then picking it up at 28 we all left the flat
00:28:48 picking it up at 28 we all left the flat together and headed straight for the stairs
00:28:50 stairs my daughter started to walk to the lift and he what pulled her back we ran down one flight of stairs and met with a firefighter on the stairwell on the
00:29:01 firefighter on the stairwell on the floor directly below us he was rolling the fire hose in we informed the firefighter that there was a fire in our kitchen and he looked shocked and frantically started asking us what fire what flat which floor show me we all
00:29:14 what flat which floor show me we all went back up to the fifth floor and show the firefighter at the front door to our flat he then asked us if we could open the door but we told him he could not as we had run out of the flat and not taken off a front door key after speaking with
00:29:26 off a front door key after speaking with the firefighter we all went back onto the stairwell and ran out of the tower as quickly as possible there was no one on our landing or on the stairwell when we were exiting the tower I also could not see any signs of a fire or smoke on
00:29:38 not see any signs of a fire or smoke on the landings or on the stairwell as we descended our daughter was just about to walk out the fire exit door at the bottom of the stairwell when her what pulled her back as we could see falling debris which was on fire it was shocking
00:29:50 debris which was on fire it was shocking to see we exited the tower from the main entrance straight exit in the lobby I could see a few firefighters outside of the tower and they were not doing anything at this point
00:30:01 anything at this point somebody had wedged the main entrance stroke exit door open with a big bag that door can only be opened with a fob and if it were closed when we came down the stairs we would have had been trapped inside the tower however as we
00:30:15 trapped inside the tower however as we came out of the tower at 1:20 a.m. I could see the fire on the outside of the building with debris and fire falling from the tower by the fire exit I would say the fire had reached our flat and maybe one or two flats above and one or
00:30:26 maybe one or two flats above and one or two flats below as we came out of the tower we saw several of our neighbors from the tower by the green grass area and we went over and joined behavior bahama lived in flat 16 on the 4th floor
00:30:38 bahama lived in flat 16 on the 4th floor he saw us and said thank God he was glad to see that we were okay he told us that he had left the tower without his fob and his mobile phones which had my telephone number and therefore couldn't
00:30:49 telephone number and therefore couldn't call me the Haley's kitchen was directly below our kitchen the hen who told me that when he saw the smoke in his flat he phoned 999 and knocked on all the doors on his floor to alert his
00:31:00 doors on his floor to alert his neighbors to the smoke they all came out but Haley was in shock he was barefoot on the grass and was in his pajamas no one was with him he's a man of about 45 or 46 years of age he was on his own
00:31:13 or 46 years of age he was on his own outside and was clearly very shaken
00:31:27 and that is I think all they need from his statement to read into the record expressly the rest of it and like all statements mr. chairman will stand as his evidence to the inquiry and of
00:31:38 his evidence to the inquiry and of course be taken into account in full yes thank you the next statement I'd wish to read is the statement of Johannes Tesfaye
00:31:49 Tesfaye under reference iws quadruple zero one zero eight nine the statement is dated and signed on the 21st of May 2018 and
00:32:00 and signed on the 21st of May 2018 and stands under a statement of truth Oh at page 21 from the statement of truth is dated the 17th of May 2018 and that's probably the right day of the
00:32:12 that's probably the right day of the statement although it's electronically signed it appears on the 21st of May
00:32:20 this resident was from flat 163 on the 19th floor was not present in the building he was at work at the time he
00:32:31 building he was at work at the time he explains in paragraph four of his statement that he moved into Grenville tower towards the end of 2015 and he says I joined my partner Maren mechelen and our daughters and he was previously
00:32:45 and our daughters and he was previously living at Cambridge gardens and he explains his background and his qualifications a paragraph 19 he says I
00:32:57 qualifications a paragraph 19 he says I had several concerns about fire safety in the tower and I do not recall being provided with any information regarding fire safety I received no fire safety information when I moved into the tower or anytime thereafter
00:33:08 or anytime thereafter the only fire safety information I recall was a notice by the lift in English saying that they should not be used in the event of a fire Marren informed Maren had informed me about the
00:33:19 informed Maren had informed me about the stay-put policy in the tower and we would often have discussions about what we would do in the event of a fire in light of the stay-put policy I felt safer with the idea of following procedure but Maren had always said that
00:33:30 procedure but Maren had always said that if there was a fire she would leave I'm employed as a biomedical scientist by the NHS and I am therefore a stickler for procedure the NHS of healthcare is heavily
00:33:40 heavily regulated and everything is based around a defined procedure it would seem alien to me to depart from procedure I have moments of panic and stress about the fact that had they been in the tower on
00:33:51 fact that had they been in the tower on the night of the fire I'd want to work that night then I would have persuaded my family to stay with me in the flat purely on the basis that this was the advice and guidance issued which Maron made me aware of thankfully Maron had
00:34:02 made me aware of thankfully Maron had always said to me that she didn't know how she could stay put in the flat if the building was on fire paragraphs 26 and 27 mr. chairman you'll notice and
00:34:13 and 27 mr. chairman you'll notice and I'll just just refer to those in passing that your problems they experienced in relation to electricity and power surges and then if I can pick the statement up
00:34:24 and then if I can pick the statement up at paragraph 42 he says next to the gas
00:34:35 at paragraph 42 he says next to the gas pipes on the landing was the main emergency exit door to the stairwell the door to the stairwell was never fully closed
00:34:42 closed it was always swinging open or shut due to the draft coming through the on the landing and building after the new windows were installed on some occasions the wind was so bad that we could hear the stairwell door flapping from inside
00:34:54 the stairwell door flapping from inside our flat I think the wind was coming through the ventilation on the landing in between the flats we also had serious concerns about the replacement windows in our flat there were gaps around the
00:35:05 in our flat there were gaps around the edges of the windows which I attempted to seal and cover with sellotape to prevent this draft coming through the wind would push through these gaps and we could feel it blowing in the gaps the
00:35:17 we could feel it blowing in the gaps the largest of these gaps was underneath the window ledge in the kitchen the gap was large enough to fit your hand inside it and reach the cladding on the outside of the tower
00:35:25 the tower I could feel cold air when I put my hand through the gap and I would be able to feel a foam like texture the windows in our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom also had gaps under the window ledge and
00:35:36 also had gaps under the window ledge and you could fit your fingers in those gaps Ryden had filled in the gaps in the kitchen during the refurbishment with the substance and not sure what that did not stop the draft coming through Maren
00:35:48 not stop the draft coming through Maren and I were constantly talking about the cold in the as we lived on the 19th floor of the tower the wind was particularly bad and it got worse further up the tower you went we could hear the wind whistling inside our flat
00:35:59 hear the wind whistling inside our flat we never had these problems with the old windows and then he describes the paragraphs 46 to 48 the efforts to repair the gaps around the windows and I
00:36:13 repair the gaps around the windows and I don't need to read them out specifically but I would draw your attention to that yes
00:36:16 yes and then at paragraphs 59 and following he covers his recollection of the night
00:36:27 he covers his recollection of the night of the fire had any to read anything from that it stands on its own terms and indeed the whole statement will stand of course as evidence to the inquiry and will be taken into account in full yes
00:36:41 will be taken into account in full yes think mr. chairman the next statement is the statement of mr. Mohammad Rasool that stands under reference iws khan to pool zero six seven zero it's dated and
00:36:54 pool zero six seven zero it's dated and signed on the 6th of June 2018 and a statement of truth is at page 12 mr. Azul is the husband of the mirror
00:37:07 mr. Azul is the husband of the mirror Mahmood and he lived at flat 25 on floor 5 and exited the tower at oh one 36 at
00:37:19 5 and exited the tower at oh one 36 at paragraph 8 if I could just pick it up there he says the council replaced the front door to our flat this new door was made of plastic and wood we had issues with this door as it wouldn't lock properly someone came to fix the door
00:37:30 properly someone came to fix the door but took out the mechanism which meant that it was no longer self closing we would have to push it to close it properly
00:37:36 properly our old door was definitely heavier than the new door the council put in and then at paragraph 10 he says there was a fire safety notice in the ground on the ground floor by the lifts the notice was
00:37:48 ground floor by the lifts the notice was in English and it said that in case of the fire then you should remain in your flat until you are evacuated out of the building unless the fire was in your own flat I believe that it also said not to use the lift but to use the stairs in
00:38:00 use the lift but to use the stairs in case of a fire I knew that in the event of a fire the only way out was down the stairs the stairs were quite narrow you could just about fit two people side-by-side on the staircase but it is more comfortable
00:38:11 staircase but it is more comfortable going down stairs in single file there are floor numbers on the walls as you go downstairs before the refurbishment there were fire alarms on each floor in the communal areas after
00:38:22 each floor in the communal areas after the refurbishment I'm not sure if there were fire alarms on each floor but I definitely would have expected there to be I believe that they were dry risers on most walls in the tower before the refurbishment when there were fires in
00:38:34 refurbishment when there were fires in the tower
00:38:34 the tower they were always self-contained to the flat and usually the fire alarms went off in the communal area after the refurbishment I never heard any fire alarms go off I did not see any smoke extractor fans in the communal areas
00:38:45 extractor fans in the communal areas either then at paragraph 15 onwards mr. chairman was to resolve deals with his experience of the night itself and though I'll read some of that to you yes
00:38:57 though I'll read some of that to you yes thank you and around 1:00 a.m. to 1:15 I got up and could suddenly smell something burning it was a really strong burning smell it was an unusual smell that I immediately knew was not a smell of food burning I
00:39:09 knew was not a smell of food burning I could hear someone shouting from outside so I looked outside the living-room window and I could see a reflection of the académie windows there was a yellow glow I wasn't sure if this yellow glow
00:39:21 glow I wasn't sure if this yellow glow was coming from the tower or from the walkways below I heard people shouting and it looked like there were people shouting underneath the garages by grenfell walk as there had previously been fires in the tower which was
00:39:32 been fires in the tower which was self-contained and quickly extinguished I wasn't worried at this point I lay back down for a short while until around 115 to 130 when my wife manera walked into the living room to tell me that something was going on outside in the
00:39:44 something was going on outside in the communal in the communal area on our floor by the lift and that we needed to find out what this was she looked really worried I remember that it was around this time because I looked at my phone
00:39:55 this time because I looked at my phone to check the time I rushed to the front door with my wife to find out what was going on and she opened the door I could see fire hoses on the floor in the communal area I looked to my left and
00:40:07 communal area I looked to my left and could see that the daughter flat 26 was fully closed but smoke was coming out the flat this made me think that the fire was on our floor and that it might even have started from flat 26 there
00:40:19 even have started from flat 26 there wasn't much smoke at this point but I could clearly see it coming out of the sides of the door and underneath the door
00:40:24 door it was dark gray - black smoke but the smoke was not that cloudy I remember that the daughter flat 26 was one of the new doors that had been replaced by the council the new doors were made of wood and plastic Winton and
00:40:37 were made of wood and plastic Winton and Hill what lived in flat 26 with their two children I could not hear any fire alarms going off at some point I saw Sharon from flat 24 in the communal area with a friend about 20 seconds later I saw two to three farm
00:40:50 20 seconds later I saw two to three farm and entered the communal area from the stairwell with equipment in their arms and masks on over their faces I couldn't hear anyone speaking through the radios I was still in the communal area at this point just staring at the
00:41:02 area at this point just staring at the smoke one of the farm and looked at me I told me to get out and not take anything with me he wasn't shouting but you could tell that there was a real sense of urgency and I wasn't going to argue with
00:41:13 urgency and I wasn't going to argue with him I was quite worried at this point but I still thought that we were going to return to the flat the fireman quickly tried to make the hoses work that it looked like there was no water coming through I assumed that they were
00:41:25 coming through I assumed that they were connected to the dry risers that were on certain floors on the southwest corners of the communal areas the firemen looked distressed somewhat desperate as they were rushing to get things done but the water was just not coming out that he
00:41:39 water was just not coming out that he explains how he gets back into the flat and brings the family and paragraph 20 to picking it up there he says manera and my two children left a few minutes
00:41:50 and my two children left a few minutes before my father and me when I left the flat I slammed the front door shut when I walked out with my father the fireman was still in the hallway and were focused on flat 26 they were still
00:42:02 focused on flat 26 they were still trying to get the hoses to work I was asked whether I heard a motor noise in the communal area which I could not hear I did not recall seeing any extractor fans in the communal area either we walked towards the fire door opened the
00:42:14 walked towards the fire door opened the door to the stairwell and started walking downstairs this door is always usually always shut there are no fire break glass points on the floors there is only one on the ground floor because my father has
00:42:27 ground floor because my father has arthritis in a heart condition we were walking down the stairs slowly and I told my father to lean on me while he held onto the railing I was frightened that he was going to fall so I stood very close to him as we walked down the
00:42:39 very close to him as we walked down the stairs I was walking backwards but facing my father not holding his arms as we walk down the stairs he is heavier than me and I don't think I would have been able to hold him up if he tripped over as we were slowly walking down the
00:42:51 over as we were slowly walking down the stairs there were lots of other people on the stairwell it was very busy on the stairwell
00:42:55 stairwell I saw 30 to 40 people on the stairwell and they all passed us I recognized a lot of the neighbors on the stairwell some neighbors were clearly panicking and looked distressed it was shocking to
00:43:07 and looked distressed it was shocking to see this happening as nothing had ever happened like this before I tried to stay calm as my father would have worried more if he saw me worried I remember seeing one of my neighbors who was Filipino coming down the stairs in his boxers I
00:43:19 coming down the stairs in his boxers I do not recall anyone going up stairs including firefighters there was no smoke in the stairwell the lights were on and I could not hear any fire alarms going off I would have still expected to
00:43:30 going off I would have still expected to have heard the fire alarms going off considering there was smoke on my floor at this point I still thought we were eventually going to return to our flat we'd had fires in the past and they'd always been contained in a flat where the fire had started so I thought this
00:43:42 the fire had started so I thought this would be the same case when we got to the second floor we had to come out and move across the hall to join stairs slightly away from the other which went down to the ground level via the mezzanine when we got to the first floor
00:43:54 mezzanine when we got to the first floor I could see four firemen on the staircase they looked quite concerned they told us to carry on down the stairs I didn't see anyone injured here on the stairwell it took us 10 about 10 to 15
00:44:06 stairwell it took us 10 about 10 to 15 minutes to walk all the way downstairs out of the tower when we finally reached the ground floor I saw five to six firefighters standing in the communal area - I understand that there is CCTV
00:44:17 area - I understand that there is CCTV in the tower and I'm clocked as leaving the tower at around 1:35 a.m. and like all the statements mr. chairman mr. Razzles will of course stand innocent
00:44:29 Razzles will of course stand innocent as evidence to the inquiry and will be taken into account in full I should have read into the record the reference to his exhibits which is iws Quinn tuple
00:44:40 his exhibits which is iws Quinn tuple zero six six nine which is M R 1 to M R 5 respectively so there's also visible the next witness
00:44:51 so there's also visible the next witness statement I'd like to read into the record is that for mr. Mohammed Hariri
00:45:00 that stands under exhibit under inquiry reference I WS quadruple zero one zero nine four and mr. Herrera has a large
00:45:12 nine four and mr. Herrera has a large number of exhibits 1 to 10 which stand and references I WS quadruple zero 1095 1096 1097 1098 1099 1,100 1,100 and 4 no
00:45:28 1096 1097 1098 1099 1,100 1,100 and 4 no 106 107 and 1100 and eight
00:45:34 mr. Herrera statement is date of the 27th of September 2018 and stands under a statement of truth above his signature on page 10 of his statement he was a
00:45:47 on page 10 of his statement he was a resident of flat 21 on floor 5 and exited at around oh 103 a.m. as he explains in paragraph 8 of his statement
00:45:58 explains in paragraph 8 of his statement he moved into grenfell tower in October 2016
00:46:01 2016 I was living on the 5th 5th floor of the building in flat 21 with mr. Hamid Ali Hakim
00:46:13 picking it up at paragraph 22 I'll just read a short part of his statement he says I'd been working covering the night of the fire he says I'd been working all day in West Hampstead I came home around
00:46:26 day in West Hampstead I came home around 8:30 p.m. I cooked food at about 9:15 p.m. breaking my fast after that I went to the mosque in Westbourne Park for prayers I then returned to grateful
00:46:37 prayers I then returned to grateful tower around 12:30 I then had some fruit from watch TV I then started getting ready for bed changing my friends in my bedroom when I heard a loud noise my bedroom window was closed at this point
00:46:48 bedroom window was closed at this point it was an urgent banging sound or something like all like something was being thrown against the wall it was four or five continuous banging sounds lasting about ten seconds I tried to
00:46:59 lasting about ten seconds I tried to ignore it because I thought it was coming from a party that her neighbours flat or as a result of an argument I've heard noises before I did not think it was something dangerous what to be worried about about a minute after I
00:47:12 worried about about a minute after I heard the banging I heard sirens for fire engines coming to the tower I heard a lot of noise from fire engines arriving I opened the window and I put my head out of the window and looked down I saw more than one fire engine
00:47:24 down I saw more than one fire engine arriving Dan grenfell Road I think there was two or three fire engines first of all my first thought was that there was a fire in the tower as I had my head out the window I looked down into my left I
00:47:35 the window I looked down into my left I saw a really bright light it was not a normal light coming from the fourth floor window sorry coming from the fourth floor below I knew right away it was not normal that it must be afar with
00:47:46 was not normal that it must be afar with the sound of sirens I knew I just had to get out the fire gave off a bright light from what I now know was the kitchen of flat 16 but there was no smoke no smell and no sound of the fire the only way I
00:47:59 and no sound of the fire the only way I knew there was a fire was because I saw it the fire was still inside the building at this point but I am 100% knew it was a fire I thought I should just get out I was wearing a t-shirt and
00:48:10 just get out I was wearing a t-shirt and jeans short so I grabbed a jacket and put it on I left my room put on my slippers which were in the hallway
00:48:18 I then knocked on the living room door and opened it this is where Sally was staying he was awake and had been waiting for his uncle to return to the flat after work he would often throw the key down to him or have to go down to
00:48:30 key down to him or have to go down to let his uncle in he was lying back on the mattress wearing his headphones he saw me straightaway Sally took out his headphones I shouted get out fire fire I was in a panic and knew we had to get out right away I ran to the front
00:48:43 get out right away I ran to the front door and waited to see that sally was coming and was in their flat hallway he thrown on his jacket I shouted to him to close the front door the door is not self closing and you need a key to lock the front door as it is not self locking
00:48:54 the front door as it is not self locking so sally would have been closing the door behind me as I ran to the stairs my thinking was they were put out the fire and we would be able to return after half an hour or an hour I also remember having read the fire
00:49:05 I also remember having read the fire notice and not to use the lift so he went to the stairwell door I went through the I went first through the door and I thought Santa was behind me I was running very quickly I was running
00:49:16 was running very quickly I was running so fast I felt the impact on my feet through the slippers as I ran down the stairs I did not see and smell smoke on the fourth floor or in the staircase I did not hear sunny I did not hear sunny
00:49:29 did not hear sunny I did not hear sunny behind me and I do not recall seeing anyone else on the staircase I reached the second floor went through the door into the open staircase I went down the stairs into the entrance lobby I recalled the door was open I assumed it
00:49:42 recalled the door was open I assumed it had been propped open when I got to the ground floor I saw about five firefighters they were carrying a rolled-up hose and making their way to the door at the bottom of the stairs where I was coming from some of them
00:49:53 where I was coming from some of them were getting through the door into the lift Lobby one fighter fight one firefighter said to me get out of the way
00:49:59 way I started up the stairs sometime after the fire the police showed me a CCTV still which identifies me as leaving the building at a 102 58 a.m. I have since
00:50:10 building at a 102 58 a.m. I have since learned that I could not hear Sally behind me on the stairs because he took the lift to the ground floor and exited just before me and then he explains what he saw once he was outside the building
00:50:21 he saw once he was outside the building if I could just pick that up at 20 32 and 33 yes he describes his video and then he says he says I took a vid another video Oh
00:50:34 he says I took a vid another video Oh 1:21 and the flames had reached even higher I think they looked like they reached the 13th or 14th floor a further video shows at 1:25 the flames reached about the 19th or 20th floor and then at a 128 the fire had reached the
00:50:46 then at a 128 the fire had reached the roof it quickly spread around the roof there were still lots of people at the windows some were waving or waving clothes strangely some people in the southeast corner flats this would be flat - on those floors just look normal
00:50:58 flat - on those floors just look normal they just seem to be moving around their rooms unknowing I was worried because they did not seem to see the fire or appear to be getting out their videos show a strange contrast on one side to the other normal on one side and then a
00:51:11 the other normal on one side and then a huge fire people were commenting shocked that we should let them know by 1:33 the side of the building visible to me it was clear that the fire was spreading across the tower in both directions and between the two middle columns back
00:51:23 between the two middle columns back towards my flat I could see it had reached the living room of my flat it was spreading up and down I was really thankful at that point that I'd made salad get out when I did because he had
00:51:34 salad get out when I did because he had been wearing his headphones I could see parts of the building coming down I now know this to be the cladding that was added to the building before I moved in the burning cladding was giving off a dark smoke that looked like petrol
00:51:45 off a dark smoke that looked like petrol burning at the time I thought this was the plastic from the windows or even the glass that had become so hot it was at melting point there were parts coming away from the building and falling to
00:51:56 away from the building and falling to the ground they were falling down a light like a storm of fire the fire sounded like it was hissing by plastic melting before you were moved back you could feel the heat of the fire
00:52:10 and mr. chairman that is all any other thing to read aloud from his statement again as the rest it will stand in its entirety as evidence to the record evidence in the record to the inquiry potatoes thank you very much the next
00:52:21 potatoes thank you very much the next statement mr. Chairman I would wish to read is that 4d tiara pavani and her statement is under the reference iws
00:52:33 statement is under the reference iws Quinn tuple zero nine to nine and it's
00:52:44 Quinn tuple zero nine to nine and it's dated the 12th of July 2018 or at least it's signed on that day all that bears the date of the 29th of June 2018 on the first page the signature and statement
00:52:55 first page the signature and statement of truth are on page 12 and this resident lived at flat 22 of Grenfell tower on the fifth floor and had lived
00:53:10 tower on the fifth floor and had lived there since 1997 and can I pick the statement up at paragraph 8 i also particularly remember several issues with the refurbishment a few years
00:53:22 with the refurbishment a few years before the fire we all knew that the workers are not done everything right they seem to be rushed and everything was done in a messy way our windows were changed from wooden flames to plastic
00:53:33 changed from wooden flames to plastic ones the workers had left large gaps between the window frame and where it was fit it looked like you needed poly filler or something similar so that there was not a nasty-looking gap there I asked the workmen in my house to do
00:53:45 I asked the workmen in my house to do this over and over and they would not do it when they went on a break one day I decided to do it the workmen came back and asked me whether I have done it when I said they had they apologized to me and said that they were made to do
00:53:57 and said that they were made to do everything as quickly as possible so they could not get to everything that they had to I remembered that after the refurbishment although there were no visible gaps around the rest of the windows there was more of a draft than there had been before
00:54:08 there had been before I remember shining and sure I'm always talking about how cold it was that you could feel the wind coming in through the windows after they were changed then a paragraph 12 and 13
00:54:20 a paragraph 12 and 13 the front door to my flat was replaced a few years ago I cannot remember exactly when what I do remember is that the door the new door had a small gap at the bottom her around one centimeter or two
00:54:31 bottom her around one centimeter or two centimeters wide the old door also had a gap which had been fixed by having brushes fitted to the bottom of it to stop the heat escaping the new door didn't have those brushes and there was a gap just a gap at the bottom the
00:54:43 a gap just a gap at the bottom the noodle also appeared to be lighter than our old door I remember my son Sharon Connect commenting that it was like they had taken away our good door to give us a worse one the door to the stairwell on
00:54:54 a worse one the door to the stairwell on my floor had been broken for some time before the fire it was always damned open and you had to pull it hard to make sure it was closed the TMO never did anything about this and it often stayed jammed open for long periods of time and
00:55:10 jammed open for long periods of time and then at paragraph 21 under the heading fire safety she says I remember years and years ago I'm not sure when but do know was before the refurbishment we used to have a fire alarm in the
00:55:21 used to have a fire alarm in the communal areas it was so loud when it went off that I would have to put my fingers in my ears at some stage that was removed I remember being surprised that there was no communal fire alarm going off on the
00:55:32 no communal fire alarm going off on the night of the fire to wake people up I also remember they used to be fire extinguishers on each floor but again at some stage these were removed I can't remember exactly when and then at
00:55:46 remember exactly when and then at paragraph 24 she says no one from the TMO or our bkc told us what to do if ever there was a fire in the tower and then at paragraph 27 onwards she
00:55:58 then at paragraph 27 onwards she describes her exit and I'll read part of this to you mr. chairman from paragraph 27 down to paragraph 34 I was on my own
00:56:12 27 down to paragraph 34 I was on my own in the flat on the 13th of June Shahin was staying away in East London for a Work Conference sano was staying with her parents and Sharon was also staying away from work for some reason I felt a bit uneasy that
00:56:24 for some reason I felt a bit uneasy that night I'm not sure why but instead of going to bed as usual I decided to do a big clean of the whole flat I did a deep-clean in the living room and then my bedroom after I'd finished I looked at the time and I remember seeing
00:56:36 looked at the time and I remember seeing that it was 1252 a.m. so I thought that I should get to bed every night before I went to bed I used to have a look out of the window to look at what was going on I looked out of my living room window on
00:56:47 I looked out of my living room window on the south side I saw that there were some flashing lights I looked down but could not immediately see where the lights were coming from the first I assumed it was an ambulance but I looked
00:56:58 assumed it was an ambulance but I looked all around and realized I could see the edge of a fire engine parked out in front of the tower I realized there must have been a fire in the tower but at this point was not too worried that was because we have had fires in the tower before and they'd all been contained and
00:57:09 before and they'd all been contained and put out I remember thinking that this fire must be the same so I decided to stay in my flat I did however keep looking out of the window for the next few minutes to see what was going on I
00:57:20 few minutes to see what was going on I saw two men standing down on the ground outside the tower who were pointing towards the building to the window on the east side of my flat I went to look through that window and could see that
00:57:31 through that window and could see that there were flames coming towards the window I was looking out of I saw orange flames of dark smoke being blown down from above and towards the window I was looking out of I realized at this point that the fire was serious and I needed
00:57:44 that the fire was serious and I needed to leave I grabbed my phone and keys and put my jacket on I opened my front door and room remember being really shocked it was dark and very smoky I could see through the smoke but not clearly the
00:57:55 through the smoke but not clearly the smoke was everywhere the smoke was very strong smelling it is difficult to describe what it was like but it was making me cough a lot in the hallway I saw some shadows of what looked like firefighters I remember thinking that it
00:58:07 firefighters I remember thinking that it was odd as they were just silently doing things and not talking I couldn't see exactly what it was that they were doing I closed the door because the smoke was getting too bad so I walked it back into my living room I stood there for a few
00:58:19 my living room I stood there for a few minutes thinking about what I should do it was very smoky and I was afraid to step out into the hall to try to escape but I realized that the farm must have been serious - cause that amount of smoke I wanted to wait until the
00:58:30 smoke I wanted to wait until the firefighters came to my flat to tell me what to do but no one came to my door I thought about the smoke and a fire I had seen earlier and decided of a hat to try and get
00:58:40 and get I was really scared to go out into the hall so I remember thinking over and over to myself that I would be okay that I would get out safely and they would put the fire out I walked out into the hallway and made
00:58:52 I walked out into the hallway and made my way as quickly as I could to the stairwell the stairwell door was jammed open as usual so I just walked straight through the hall into the stairwell the
00:59:03 through the hall into the stairwell the stairwell was much less smoky than the hallway in front of my flat I could see and breathe but I could still smell the smoke very strongly there was light gray smoke in the stairwell but it was thinner than the black smoke which was
00:59:15 thinner than the black smoke which was collecting in the hallway as I walked down the stairs the smoke got thinner and thinner the firefighters had left my hallway and when I reached the stairwell I saw three firefighters walking up from
00:59:26 I saw three firefighters walking up from the fifth floor they seem to be quite relaxed they were walking up the stairs and I remember it reassured me that they did not seem to be panicked or anything they were pulling hoses up the stairs I then had a female firefighter tell me to
00:59:38 then had a female firefighter tell me to go downstairs she motioned for me to keep walking downstairs past her this jogged me again and I began to walk down the stairs a little quicker there was no one else on the stairs following when I passed those
00:59:49 following when I passed those firefighters I got to the mezzanine floor and saw fire engines outside I think there were two or three I remember thinking how odd it was that it was so quiet it was silent I could not hit
01:00:00 quiet it was silent I could not hit anything I recorded the video of the foyer of the tower because it was so odd which I have already given to the police thinking back on it now I'm confused as to why the fire engines did not have their sirens on as it would have been a
01:00:11 their sirens on as it would have been a way to wake people up and let them know there was a fire as there was not a common welfare alarm to do this I think that a lot of victims of the fire were asleep at this stage and I think that if the fire engine had used their sloughed
01:00:23 the fire engine had used their sloughed sirens this may have saved lives I walked downstairs and made my way out of the main entrance I cannot remember the exact time but can see from the police images of the CCTV that it was of a 123
01:00:34 images of the CCTV that it was of a 123 a.m. mr. chairman again like the others misspell Avani statement will stand as evident
01:00:41 evident inquiry its entirety and will be taken into account accordingly the next statement together with some of those which follow our statements which I was
01:00:53 which follow our statements which I was going to read into the record last week but in respect of which we had to pause so we're now going to read in those can I start with the statement of Monica
01:01:06 I start with the statement of Monica loco her statement stands under the reference iaws quinn tuple zero one three eight and has two exhibits mk1 and
01:01:20 three eight and has two exhibits mk1 and mk2 under reference Quinn tuple 0 141 and 139 respectively it's iws go to kill 0 141 and 139 her statement is signed on
01:01:33 0 141 and 139 her statement is signed on the 17th of May 2018 and stands under a statement of truth with her signature on page 11 of her statement she was a resident of flat 3 on the first floor of
01:01:45 resident of flat 3 on the first floor of Granville tower at the time of the fire and I would just read that paragraph was part of her statement from paragraph 29
01:01:59 part of her statement from paragraph 29 onwards on Wednesday the 13th of June 2017 I had to go to a medical appointment with my GP which my daughter accompanied me to she was with me for a
01:02:12 accompanied me to she was with me for a lot of the day I could not sleep in the evening after she left this has been going on on being issued for about a month I had all my internal doors open to allow free circulation of fresh air my bedroom and sitting-room window
01:02:24 my bedroom and sitting-room window opened due to the warm night and could hear a young woman speaking to someone near the stairs and voices from downstairs I could not hear what they were saying but there was a group of them talking I turned on my alarm clock
01:02:37 them talking I turned on my alarm clock light on my bedside table which displayed the time as 109 a.m. I could hear a hissing and humming noise coming from upstairs so I got up I could also smell something burning from my living
01:02:49 smell something burning from my living room
01:02:49 room it had a plasticky smell to it I could not see any smoke I wanted to pray but I was unable to as I as I could feel something bad was happening around me I could not hear any
01:03:00 happening around me I could not hear any smoker lungs I was nervous and went to my front door to investigators I thought it may have been working I could not see anyone in the lobby but I could hear noise from downstairs I contemplated calling the
01:03:11 downstairs I contemplated calling the police
01:03:11 police but didn't I was feeling anxious and scared at this time I went into my living room I could hear a loud male voice through a megaphone but could could not hear what was being said I
01:03:22 could not hear what was being said I heard Tina from the lobby area right outside my door say ma'am we have to leave the building it's on fire I recognized Tina's voice as I had named the family for a number of years but I
01:03:34 the family for a number of years but I heard Tina I immediately slipped on my red shoes and grabbed my handbag and my walking stick and went out into the lobby there were no items in the lobby I met Tina in the lobby who advised me
01:03:45 I met Tina in the lobby who advised me to get my coat as I was in my nightie and to call the door to my flat closed automatically and locks and I didn't turn back and continued into the lobby area my door had a draft excluder but I
01:03:58 area my door had a draft excluder but I could clearly see a gap at the bottom the front door had a letterbox but you had to manually lift the flap up to put letters in it it wasn't on spring hinges at this time I could not see any smoke in the lobby
01:04:09 I could not see any smoke in the lobby which was lit I noted the heavy large communal doors on the first floor were closed so I had to press the exit button to go it to get to go out down the stairwell I would estimate the time was about 1:15 I started to make my way down
01:04:23 about 1:15 I started to make my way down the stairwell I could see to I could see two Muslim women walking down the stairwell and there was a farm and behind me he was not carrying breathing equipment that I noticed I could not see any smoke in the stairwell and there was
01:04:34 any smoke in the stairwell and there was no struggle to get down the stairs the stairwell was in good order and there was a banister and it was lit I was in pain due to my existing health conditions I did not check to see if the
01:04:45 conditions I did not check to see if the lifts were working at this time there was only room for one person at a time to go down these stairs when I got to the bottom of the stairs I understand from a CCTV snapshot shown to me by the met the time was o 125 52
01:05:00 and mr. chairman again her statement stands as evidence to the inquiry in its entirety and will be taken into account yes I think accordingly the next
01:05:12 yes I think accordingly the next statement I would wish to read into the record is that of SEPA de Magadan
01:05:29 which is under reference iws credible zero three nine two and her statement is
01:05:45 zero three nine two and her statement is dated the 21st of May 2018 and a signature of that date and there is a
01:05:58 signature of that date and there is a statement of truth with that she lived at flat four on the first floor of the building and had moved into it in July 2016 as a tenant of the Katie Casey TM
01:06:13 2016 as a tenant of the Katie Casey TM oh can I just read one or two paragraphs from that statement before we get to the night of the fire itself paragraphs 9 and 10
01:06:23 and 10 whilst at Grenfell tower I was not told anything about fire safety nor did anyone check that I understood the fire safety or le irrelevant procedures it could have been written in the tenancy but I did not read it and no other
01:06:34 but I did not read it and no other information about fire safety was provided to me I did not even know that the London Fire Brigade carried out safety checks I knew from common sense that in the event of a fire I should run as far away as possible from the fire and the building as well as not to use
01:06:46 and the building as well as not to use the lift however no one ever provided information on where to go when there was a fire in fact in my panic to leave the flat on the night of the fire I did at first approach the lift and it was a
01:06:58 at first approach the lift and it was a neighbor who reminded me not to use it at 15 mr. chairman she deals with her door she says the main door in my flat was new as I moved into my flat soon after the refurbishment of the flat
01:07:09 soon after the refurbishment of the flat the door was big I believe from my recollection that have had three hinges on it and it was not damaged I did not have any problems with my door and letterbox as it closed automatically and completely and I did not put anything in
01:07:21 completely and I did not put anything in it to hold it open there were minimal gaps under the door so not much air came in but there was not a seal underneath there are a few months before the fire someone from British Gas conducted a safety check and put a brush along the
01:07:33 safety check and put a brush along the bottom of the door the doors within the flat did not close automatically all the bedroom doors and living room doors usually kept open with the exception of the bathroom door which was kept closed then paragraph 17 she deals with
01:07:45 then paragraph 17 she deals with electricity and 20 she deals with the windows she says in regards to the general state of the flat there was no
01:07:56 general state of the flat there was no draft coming in from the windows in the flat misses paragraph 20 so we caught it on the screen she says no draft coming
01:08:07 on the screen she says no draft coming in from the windows in the flat but there was a small stone sized hole in the living room window though the hole was smaller had cracks around it which spread out on a loud wind to come in that meant but when it was winter it was
01:08:19 that meant but when it was winter it was difficult to get the flat warm I complained about this four or five four or five times and it took six months to fix to fix the hole in addition the ceiling in the living room have small cracks which got progressively worse I was told this would be fixed but did not
01:08:31 was told this would be fixed but did not occur this may have been caused by the Boxing Club upstairs and then paragraph 21 she deals with the lifts and at 25 the caretakers and then paragraphs 29
01:08:45 the caretakers and then paragraphs 29 onwards she deals with the night of the fire and I'll just read a few paragraphs from that from paragraph 30 onwards page 6 on the 14th of June 2017 both my son
01:08:56 6 on the 14th of June 2017 both my son and I was sleeping in my room together when I woke up around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. I did not recall the exact time I woke up because I start burning I thought my neighbours had probably just burned some toast I did not hear any smoke alarms in
01:09:08 toast I did not hear any smoke alarms in my flat or anyone elses so I went back to sleep thinking it was just burned food however the smell got worse and I woke up again and went over to my bedroom window and put my head outside the window this is when I saw red images
01:09:20 the window this is when I saw red images around the building and saw some fire spreading outside I initially thought this was from another building but I remembered there was not another buildings place to grenfell tower I went to the exit door of my flat and when I
01:09:32 to the exit door of my flat and when I opened the door I saw my neighbor I did not know her name she was a black woman with a disabled mother she shouted that I should take my son cut and come out because the building was on fire at the
01:09:43 because the building was on fire at the time the corridor was not full of smoke nor did I see any flames but the smell of smoke was getting worse I immediately got my son and putting blanket I also took the nappy bag which contained my purse and car keys and
01:09:55 contained my purse and car keys and locked the flat in a daze I went towards the lift to leave the building but my neighbor shouted and warned me not to use the lift the far door on my floor was closed and I went through the far door and used the stairs the door to the
01:10:07 door and used the stairs the door to the stairs was closed when I came to it and as I went through the door I believed that my neighbor was behind me so I'm not sure if the door closed straight away I had to go down 12 stairs but which was made difficult because I was
01:10:18 which was made difficult because I was carrying my son and I did not have enough time to get my crutches I injured my bad hit when running down the stairs it was very painful as I went down the stairs my vision was clear and I could
01:10:30 stairs my vision was clear and I could see the stairs as there was not much smoke at that time I went through the back to the back door but could not go out I then heard a shout from a farmer to come this way which was towards the main door so I eventually managed to
01:10:41 main door so I eventually managed to leave the building from the front door because there was no fire on that side in total it took around five to ten minutes to leave my flat with my son from when I woke up the second time as I was leaving the building I noticed that
01:10:53 was leaving the building I noticed that the smoke was not too thick than the building was not noisy apart from the sound of fire engines however no one was going up the stairs of the building apart from my neighbor telling me to leave the building and warning me not to use the lift I
01:11:04 and warning me not to use the lift I received no other assistance in getting out of the building and then she goes want to describe what she saw on the outside of the building there mr. chairman like all the others and there's
01:11:18 chairman like all the others and there's more Gardens statement will standards as evidence in the record and be taken into account in its entirety the next statement is that of Rashaad nach bandy now there are a
01:11:35 of Rashaad nach bandy now there are a number from this family and I shall read Rashad's to start with
01:11:51 and his statement is dated the 21st of May 2018 and reference iws quintuple zero three to nine and the statement of
01:12:04 zero three to nine and the statement of truth is at page six and he was a resident of flat eight on floor three having moved in there as he says on the
01:12:16 having moved in there as he says on the 22nd of July 2016 with his parents and brothers and sister and at the time of
01:12:28 brothers and sister and at the time of the fire his uncle was also living with him and had been there since May 2017 can I just pick up the statement of
01:12:39 can I just pick up the statement of paragraph 11 it was slightly jumping in in the middle but it was a good flavor of his annex personal experience he says
01:12:51 of his annex personal experience he says however CR kept calling so I answered and he told me to get out of the flat as the block was on fire he sounded serious and stressed but I told him to shut up because Co tends to panic easily and
01:13:02 because Co tends to panic easily and over react in situations C I repeatedly asked her to leave the flat and he swore at me and he's never sworn at me before you I was still in two minds about leaving as I could not hear a fire alarm
01:13:13 leaving as I could not hear a fire alarm in the building or hear any sirens from the fire engines I was already wearing shorts and a vest and I put on fluffy shoes and a jacket I went today from the front door and I noticed the slot for
01:13:24 front door and I noticed the slot for the fire hose outside our flat was connected to a hose and I thought that it was strange that somebody someone had obviously come to my front door but did not not to check if anyone was in I thought that anyone could have tripped
01:13:35 thought that anyone could have tripped over the hose if they were not paying attention I could see that the emergency lights were on in the lobby but I could not see any smoke but I could feel it the landing on the third floor would always felt hot I stepped over the hose
01:13:47 always felt hot I stepped over the hose and went to the lobby door to get to the stairs but I really had to push the door hard to get it open when they got through the door I saw absolute chaos people were rushing down the stairs and there was a lot of noise I saw people
01:13:59 there was a lot of noise I saw people stepping on and over who had fallen down I saw an elderly lady and immediately went over to help her I knew my mum was away but I could only think of her and I saw this old lady I put my arms around her to help
01:14:11 lady I put my arms around her to help her down the stairs there were people around me kicking and punching and I shouted that if anyone hit me I would hit them back I grabbed onto the handrail and it felt hot to the touch it was hot enough that I'd burn my hands
01:14:23 it was hot enough that I'd burn my hands we got to the second floor and there were lots of people gathered there the first and second floors used to be offices and previously there was an exit there however this was now blocked off
01:14:34 there however this was now blocked off and I think this should have been blocked off as people appeared not to know where to go I also noticed that the firefighters have put up a black sheet against what used to be an exit door but was now a flat door I kicked the door I
01:14:45 was now a flat door I kicked the door I went through the exit to the boxing gym on the ground floor but the elderly lady I had helped went in the opposite direction towards the main entrance as I came out I heard CR and other people shouting at me to run as I was running I
01:14:57 shouting at me to run as I was running I saw debris falling and thought this was really serious I kept running in the direction of my brother's voice and his statement mr. chairman will stand like
01:15:09 statement mr. chairman will stand like all the others as evidence in full to the inquiry
01:15:23 and just for the record the exit time we have for him is 125 54 125 54 to put that in in context the next statement I
01:15:37 that in in context the next statement I would wish to read it to the record is
01:15:45 the statement of Samira Dalit sinx Pandey who is the sister are of ration
01:15:56 Pandey who is the sister are of ration that next bandy from whom we've just heard her statement is of iws quinn tuples 0 3 2 8 and is dated the 21st of
01:16:08 tuples 0 3 2 8 and is dated the 21st of may 2018 and has a statement of truth over her signature on that page on page 4 of her statement and she says
01:16:29 on page two at paragraph eight I remember that a few days before my parents left for Australia I was at Grenville Tower and I noticed two fire safety notice near the entrance the
01:16:40 safety notice near the entrance the notice was only in English the letter said that in the event of a fire you should not use the lifts I tested my mum by asking her if she would use a lift in the event of a fire she said she would
01:16:51 the event of a fire she said she would was how else would she be able to reach the exit she couldn't walk down the stairs I told my mum that she should not use the lift if there was a fire she said that no one would explain what they should do if there was a fire the front
01:17:02 should do if there was a fire the front daughter flat eight wasn't was a normal door it was not a fire door there was smoke alarms in the flat but they did not work because my mother often cooked food that created smoke and she would say the smoke alarms never went off in
01:17:13 say the smoke alarms never went off in the lobby outside of our flat there was a place to connect a fire hose I remember that we were told not to put any items out there that could cause an obstruction on the 13th of June 2017 I went to my uncle's house to have a meal
01:17:26 went to my uncle's house to have a meal my husband joined us after he'd finished I'm sorry to have a meal as it was Ramadan and we were due to break our fast my husband joined us after he'd finished work and in the early hours of
01:17:38 finished work and in the early hours of the 14th of June 2017 we made our way back to Grenville Tower I remember that when we arrived home at approximately 125 a.m. we were parking the car we could see fire flames on the lower half
01:17:50 could see fire flames on the lower half of the tower I did not know which of my brothers was in our flat but I started to panic I did not think Ravi or Rashad would be in as they usually stay out late but I was concerned that maybe massy OCI were inside I tried calling
01:18:03 massy OCI were inside I tried calling Rashad but his phone was off and there was no answer I started to look around the immediate area to see if I could recognize anyone but it was difficult as I know it's been redacted and was not in
01:18:14 I know it's been redacted and was not in the right frame of mind to focus my husband kept urging me to move away from the immediate area as he thought the smell would not be good for me or our son we stood outside and we were walking we were and were just watching everyone
01:18:25 we were and were just watching everyone at it and at first everyone seemed calm I think that a lot of people did not know what to do I later found out that there had been a previous fire at the tower a few years ago and on that
01:18:36 tower a few years ago and on that occasion people had been told to stay in their flats and the fire had been quickly put out I think that's why people seemed to look the beginning because they thought the same would happen this time I remembered
01:18:47 same would happen this time I remembered my husband telling me that we would be allowed back into the flat shortly once they got the fire under control I was still extremely worried about my brothers but my husband reassured me that they were young and fit and could take care of themselves he also reminded
01:19:00 take care of themselves he also reminded that my parents were not there so I should not worry and her statement again mr. Chen will stand in Fuller's evidence to the inquiry and will be taken into account accordingly the next statement I
01:19:13 account accordingly the next statement I would wish to read into the record is that at for Jackie or Jacqueline Haynes
01:19:24 and that stands under reference iws could to call zero one to seven she was
01:19:37 could to call zero one to seven she was a resident of Hurst way walk yes I had lived there since she was a child had moved away in 1996 and returned to Hurst
01:19:49 moved away in 1996 and returned to Hurst away walk in February 2015 she explains and there are one or two things I should just pick out from her statement I should just also say it's dated the 16th
01:20:00 should just also say it's dated the 16th of May 2018 and it stands under a statement of truth at page 11
01:20:08 I'll just read one or two too long statement laughter just read one or two passages from it
01:20:16 on the night of the fire she was outside and she says this at paragraph 32 as I looked up at the tower I could see people at their windows using the lights from their mobile phones to draw
01:20:28 from their mobile phones to draw attention to themselves I could hear screaming I could see a female and I do not know if they were her children but there were two there were other people with her two or three she was frantically flashing her phone
01:20:39 she was frantically flashing her phone SOS style there were others in their windows and I knew they were desperate but could not hear what they were shouting they were on various floors perhaps every floor had somebody some were coming and going intermittently
01:20:50 were coming and going intermittently some however stayed at their window and then at 35 and 33 to 37 she says I saw two residents of Grenfell tower jumping out with their windows to escape
01:21:02 jumping out with their windows to escape the fire at different times both were men the first jumped in a controlled way and the second flew out he was from a lower floor to the first I think they must have been from the 9th to the 12th floor but I can't be sure
01:21:14 to the 12th floor but I can't be sure I remember tapping the person standing next to me my neighbor judy and saying imagine being so desperate that you have to take a chance of jumping rather than burning to death they're desperate I kept saying we have
01:21:26 they're desperate I kept saying we have to do something we cannot just watch people around me said there's nothing you can do and I thought we cannot just watch people die like this I thought but there's always something I can do I've never been so helpless there's nothing I
01:21:38 never been so helpless there's nothing I could do for the first time I knew there really was nothing I could do after around or about 1:00 a.m. there was loads of smoke at the top of the building which traveled across it was like a cloud like hiroshima smoke was
01:21:51 like a cloud like hiroshima smoke was spiraling around it did not smell strange for a fire although I didn't really think about the smell or any noises it was making but it was just because I felt a numbness because of all
01:22:02 because I felt a numbness because of all the chaos going on all around me I no statement again mr. chairman will stand as evidence to the inquiry and be taken into account in its entirety
01:22:13 into account in its entirety thank you the next statement I would wish to read into the record mr. chairman is that for miss Fatima Buju tief which has an inquiry reference of
01:22:26 tief which has an inquiry reference of iaws 24:04 t69 her statement carries a date at the 17th of May 2008 een and is
01:22:38 date at the 17th of May 2008 een and is signed on page 12 under a statement of truth she was another walkway resident at her again Hurst way walk and
01:22:51 at her again Hurst way walk and had lived there for many years and and was actually a postural support officer
01:23:02 was actually a postural support officer at the Kensington Aldridge Academy at the time
01:23:15 and she gives some detail of the experience of what it was like to be in her suede walk on the night of the fire and I could pick it up I think at paragraph 15 and I should just say I've
01:23:31 paragraph 15 and I should just say I've given her role in the community she knew an awful lot of people in the town and in the walkways and say yes all of the statement is very useful you know gives a very useful insight into into what the community was like on that night and
01:23:42 community was like on that night and what her impression of what was happening was like so far as the community was concerned but picking it up at play at paragraph 15 she says I was in her store walk for less than an hour before a police officer told us
01:23:53 hour before a police officer told us that we all needed to leave I asked him whether I had time to pack clothes or whether I needed to leave immediately he shouted that I needed to leave now this lone police officer appeared to have responsibility for evacuating a whole of
01:24:05 responsibility for evacuating a whole of Hurst way walk and my neighbor Lillian who lives a Hurst Way walk and I noticed that at this stage he was not knocking on any doors we therefore went to our flats and began knocking on the doors of our immediate neighbors to inform them
01:24:17 our immediate neighbors to inform them the Grenville tower was on fire and of the police had advised us to leave we knocked on three doors in total we were able to speak to the residence of two of these flats but received no response of the third this was despite the fact that
01:24:29 the third this was despite the fact that we hadn't loudly not to kick the door by this time the police officer who'd instructed us to leave had begun to knock on the doors of my other neighbors so I entered the flat grabbed my bag and my phone charger and after locking the
01:24:40 my phone charger and after locking the door full of the other hosts to a residence exiting the building this was at approximately 3:00 a.m. the evacuation felt chaotic none of the residents appeared to know which exit to use so I'm exited to the garden between
01:24:52 use so I'm exited to the garden between the Hurst way walking and tested on walks other like me used the Latimer Road station exit there appeared to be no far escape plan and the police presence was negligible I saw only one police officer during the evacuation it
01:25:05 police officer during the evacuation it was during the evacuation of Hurst Way walk that I first appreciated the seriousness of the situation it appeared to me that the policeman who was evacuating us was struggling he looked concerned and it was clear to me that he
01:25:17 concerned and it was clear to me that he was overstretched I thought to myself if the emergency services aren't in control then this is serious once I exited Hurst way warm
01:25:25 way warm that the Latimer Road station exit I want the short distance to Bromley Road where residents of the walkways and other members of the community had begun to gather at this stage there was a very
01:25:36 to gather at this stage there was a very limited police presence and like at the landing an hour earlier the scene was chaotic
01:25:40 chaotic lots of residents were hysterically screaming and crying as they looked at the burning Tower others were trying to talk to family and friends on their mobile phones or scanning the crowd for those they knew adding to the cries and
01:25:52 those they knew adding to the cries and screams with the sirens of the emergency vehicles and the whirring of helicopters overhead it was very noisy before the police numbers were reinforced at about 3:30 a.m. at 3:30 a.m. the atmosphere on
01:26:05 3:30 a.m. at 3:30 a.m. the atmosphere on Bramley Road between the police and the crowd of residents felt tense when I arrived on Bromley Road there were only approximately four or five police officers it was clear to me that once again they were overstretched we did not
01:26:16 again they were overstretched we did not know what they were doing they did not appear to have time to respond to residents questions and were abrupt when they did speak to us this caused friction between the police and the residents and there were a number of heated exchanges I remember a female
01:26:29 heated exchanges I remember a female police officer telling everyone on Bramley road to go home which prompted one man to show that this is our home and these people in the tower are our family on another occasion the police officer asked members of the crowd to come forward if they had any information
01:26:41 come forward if they had any information about individuals who were trapped in the tower but because the police officer had no megaphone they were not able to make themselves heard over the noise coming from the crowd and the emergency vehicles approximately 10 people from
01:26:53 vehicles approximately 10 people from the crowd came forward to ask the police officer to repeat what he'd said which seemed to make the police officer angry and he shouted at them to step back there were moments in the crowd observing the fire reacted as one I
01:27:05 observing the fire reacted as one I remember one such incident very clearly we all saw two residents of grenfell Tower who were stuck in a flat on the 3rd from top floor they had been waving
01:27:16 3rd from top floor they had been waving white cloths at their window but suddenly their window went black from the smoke and they disappeared as this happened everyone on Bromley Road went quiet and then collectively let out a wallowing sound a deep loud sigh these
01:27:29 wallowing sound a deep loud sigh these moments were repeated throughout the night
01:27:36 and I think the rest of the statement is is of course will stand as evidence in the record and you may pick up from that statement particular references to particular people that this witness lost
01:27:49 particular people that this witness lost in the fire yes yes thank you
01:27:54 the next statement mr. chairman i should read into the record is that for sofia oliver that stands on the reference iws quinn tuple 0 4 6 3 date of the 24th of
01:28:08 quinn tuple 0 4 6 3 date of the 24th of May 2000 of 18 her statement of truth stands over her signature on page 13 choose another walkway resident from testet and walk and again gives some
01:28:20 testet and walk and again gives some experiences of what it was like on the night of the fire from that point of view I shall just pick up paragraph 30 58 261 she says at 58
01:28:37 paragraph 30 58 261 she says at 58 however I soon began to realize just how serious this fire was and this is on page 10 of the yes the give statement I hadn't realized the building would be safe flammable the area of the tower
01:28:51 safe flammable the area of the tower covered by flame grew a lot over the hours and the color of the flames changed at one time around half 3 or 4 a.m. I remember the fire moved very quickly around the building it went up like a piece of paper I've never seen
01:29:04 like a piece of paper I've never seen anything like it it just made me so emotional I will never be able to forget the image of the tower burning the screaming I heard and the smell of it I saw people at the windows screaming and
01:29:17 saw people at the windows screaming and waving I didn't realize it this time but when the fire in the tower changed and went up quickly like a piece of paper I think it was the cladding that had caught fire they've burnt quickly and when it burns it flaked off it flew off
01:29:29 when it burns it flaked off it flew off in little bits of black and they flew in the wind it was like a newspaper on fire the heat of the fire got a lot worse when he went out after the cladding went up Johnston that was around half 3 or 4
01:29:41 up Johnston that was around half 3 or 4 a.m. we couldn't see anyone because of the flames from then the sound changed it was like crackling I don't remember hearing people from the tower from that point and then the next
01:29:58 tower from that point and then the next statement and I should say her stained like the others will stand as evidence to the inquiry we're taking into account in full mr. chairman the next statement
01:30:09 in full mr. chairman the next statement I should read is that for mr. Bernard Shaw
01:30:13 Shaw his statement stands under I WI Quint equals zero four six one and it's dated the 30th of May 2018 and stands signed
01:30:25 the 30th of May 2018 and stands signed on the statement of truth at page seven he was also a resident of testet and walk and had lived there since September 1991 and he describes his own
01:30:38 1991 and he describes his own experiences of observing the fire on the night and he says at paragraph seven at
01:30:51 night and he says at paragraph seven at around 12:20 I remember I was talking to another friend of mine on the phone Jeff on Moses who lived in front of the tower and Grenville walk I was telling him that I could smell something burning I thought it was my phone and he said no
01:31:03 thought it was my phone and he said no it's nothing ten minutes later around 12:30 he called me back and told me that the tower was on fire I immediately ran outside the walk through the walks which leads to the front of the tower there are at least 20 people they're already all on
01:31:15 least 20 people they're already all on lookers I've never seen anything like it it began as a small fire in only about two of the floors are towards the bottom of the tower on the side of the tower I was facing and the fire was not small for very long it was glowing and pieces
01:31:28 for very long it was glowing and pieces of the building with descaling like skin and falling straight to the ground next to the tower I remember thinking at that time that it must have been the cladding because nothing else would peak off that way I think it was about quarter of the
01:31:40 way I think it was about quarter of the cladding on fire it was shocking to see I remember trying to call Eddie to make sure he got out it couldn't get through to him I also knew Raymond Bernard and Steven power we were all friends and had
01:31:51 Steven power we were all friends and had known each other for about 40 years Raymond was slightly older than I was and I knew his sister Bernadette we all used to socialize together we go to parties together the pub and betting shop I would always check in with each
01:32:03 shop I would always check in with each other every so often and then he goes on to describe other people he knew and then at paragraph 16 he goes on to say from where I was standing I had a
01:32:16 say from where I was standing I had a clear view of the east side of the tower but I couldn't see anything below the sixth or seventh floors I could hear people shouting for help half an hour after leaving my flat at around 1:30 a.m. I saw someone jump out
01:32:28 around 1:30 a.m. I saw someone jump out of the tower and I felt extremely scared because I thought more people were going to jump
01:32:33 to jump I saw people flashing their phones in the windows I was just standing there outside with my neighbors watching it was very somber and very solemn to this day we are still pinching ourselves
01:32:45 day we are still pinching ourselves because we can't believe it happened the building was burning all night I was standing there all night just watching the tower burning with my neighbors there are times when we talk to each
01:32:57 there are times when we talk to each other and speculate about the cause of the fire but for the most part we were just standing in silence I was numb and emotionally exhausted I was concerned about my friends in the tower and the
01:33:08 about my friends in the tower and the information available at this point was very cloudy I did not know what was going on or whether most people most of the people in the tower had gotten out there's nothing I could do but stand there and wait to see who'd escaped
01:33:24 and like all the other statements mr. Shores will stand in its entirety in the record as evidence to the inquiry and be taken into account accordingly
01:33:46 mr. chairman we've come to the end of our reading for the day one or two we've had to postpone for technical reasons which we'll pick up later in later this week we may briefly can I just add one
01:33:57 week we may briefly can I just add one thing to the record which is I don't think that in mismo Gurdon statement she's put an exit time from the tower but we have that as oh one 30:22 right to make that clear that is
01:34:09 30:22 right to make that clear that is in the right thank you well I think you'd be right to say in relation to all those who've taken the time and trouble to provide these statements that although not being called personally to give evidence here
01:34:22 called personally to give evidence here the what they've told us is very helpful it's we are very grateful to them for taking the travelers who give us their recollections of that evening yes both
01:34:33 recollections of that evening yes both those who were resident in the tower and those from the wider community yes from whom we've heard this afternoon yes and as you have already said all these statements will form part of the
01:34:45 statements will form part of the evidence before the inquiry and and be taken into account together with all the rest of the evidence yes absolutely mr. chairman that's right and as we read through these and get the sense of the experience the picture grows and grows and becomes clearer and clearer well I'm
01:34:58 and becomes clearer and clearer well I'm grateful
01:34:58 grateful well mr. chairman let I think concludes our business for the day and tomorrow we will recommence with some further live witness evidence or all in this evidence and also some further reading in good
01:35:11 and also some further reading in good well thank you very much mr. minute so we'll stop there and we'll resume tomorrow at ten o'clock very good thank you very much ten
01:35:23 very good thank you very much ten o'clock tomorrow
01:35:34 you