Grenfell Tower Inquiry - Module 8 - Presentations Relating to the Deceased - Thursday 21st July 2022 (2/2)
00:23:00 yes mr millet yes mr chairman good afternoon members of the panel good afternoon
00:23:05 afternoon i would now invite alison monroe queen's council please to come back to the podium
00:23:11 podium to make the presentation on behalf of the family of abdul aziz el wahabi
00:23:17 wahabi fawzia el wahabi yasin
00:23:20 yasin el wahabi
00:23:26 all from flat 182 on floor 21 of grenfell tower and as before throughout this module i would invite those to understand that there is
00:23:37 invite those to understand that there is difficulty in relation to some of the contents of the uh what we're about to hear and if those who
00:23:44 who wish to absent themselves from the room now uh or look away from the live stream then they should do so thank you very much
00:23:51 much yes
00:24:48 miss monroe before you begin may i just say that if any of those present find it very difficult to carry on i hope you all indicate that it's time we had a break and we can have a break
00:25:00 we had a break and we can have a break as often as you or they feel is necessary sound great all right thank you
00:25:09 chair miss estefan mr apple and all of the family members who are here today
00:25:19 there is a city on the northwest coast of morocco where the lucas river meets the atlantic ocean
00:25:27 ocean the crowded streets team with life and the white fronted houses rise in tears precariously above the city from a distance it seems almost as if
00:25:38 from a distance it seems almost as if they were tumbled into the waters where they meet the dazzling blue sea below the ancient ruins of liquor speak of a civilization and a long history of this
00:25:50 civilization and a long history of this era dating back to the antique days of antiquity
00:25:54 antiquity it is beautiful this place is called and it holds a special place in the hearts of many in the expat moroccan
00:26:05 hearts of many in the expat moroccan community in london for the el harvey family it is particularly dare because this wonderful coastal city was a birthplace of both abdul aziz and
00:26:19 a birthplace of both abdul aziz and fauzia el wahabi this is where they would later return with their own children every year in the summer to spend time there long hot days on the beaches
00:26:31 time there long hot days on the beaches cooling off in the sea with the whole family
00:26:34 family it was in the words of falsies mother manana the family's home away from home in the uk the el wahabi family
00:26:45 in the uk the el wahabi family lived in flat 182 on the 21st floor of grenfell tower and the wahhabi family lived at flat 66. these two families were as close as a
00:26:58 these two families were as close as a sibling's family could possibly be one family two branches 182 grand falter was a home to abdul aziz al wahabi
00:27:10 aziz al wahabi his wife fazia and his three children yassin
00:27:15 yassin no huda
00:27:16 no huda and little medi flat 66 was a home to his younger sister hanan
00:27:23 hanan her husband and her children the two families loved lived laughed as one
00:27:31 one up until the 14th of june 2017 hanan remarked the only difference between the families was that their father muhammad had forgotten to add the
00:27:42 father muhammad had forgotten to add the l to hanan's birth certificate the families shared their lives with their siblings who lived close to the tower
00:27:50 tower these included hernan's sister amina the rest of the sibling group for hernan and abdulaziz consisted of gita
00:28:00 gita malika
00:28:01 malika amina
00:28:02 amina fatima
00:28:04 fatima asiya
00:28:05 asiya amin
00:28:06 amin abdul hamid the events of the fire which change everything irrevocably
00:28:17 he was the fourth of the nine children to his parents mohammed and sergio abdul aziz was born in
00:28:28 abdul aziz was born in morocco on the 10th 1st of december 1964.
00:28:33 1964. his father moved to london in 1970 and in the preceding years the rest of the family including abdul-aziz joined him from the age of nine he was brought up in the portobello area of west london
00:28:46 in the portobello area of west london the links within the grenfell community are deep and long lasting abdul-aziz knew romero and manny urbano from his school days
00:28:57 from his school days he worked as a hospital porter at university college london hospital at the time of his death he had been there 22 years it was a job he loved
00:29:08 there 22 years it was a job he loved when his father mohammed died in march 2009 abdul aziz took on the paternal role within the family and it is clear from the rest of the wider family that he was the go-to person
00:29:21 he was the go-to person the one who would listen who would give sound advice the one who would cheer you up he was also the one who could talk abdulaziz was never short of a word or
00:29:32 abdulaziz was never short of a word or two
00:29:33 two he was a protector a trait that was taken on by his daughter no huda talking was one of his specialities
00:29:44 talking was one of his specialities you've heard the phrase you can talk behind leg off a donkey abdullah's ears could talk behind leg the front leg of an entire herd hernan recalls a time when she was heavily pregnant with one of her
00:29:55 heavily pregnant with one of her children she was standing talking to abdullah's is he went on for such a long time she almost fainted amina was one year older than abdullah's is and she cherished a very special
00:30:07 is and she cherished a very special relationship with him and his family she recalls him as a close and caring brother
00:30:15 brother and he had a very close relationship with her mother each time he would greet their mother he would go to her go to his knees and kiss her feet
00:30:25 her feet he this is he did this when he arrived and when he left this was a gesture of his deep love and respect for their mother amina recalled abdul's as his love of
00:30:36 amina recalled abdul's as his love of family gatherings and the joy he expressed for the time they spent together
00:30:41 together his youngest brother hamid said at the commemoration hearings quote
00:30:48 quote he was so proud if anyone in the family achieved anything in life our mother became so reliant on abdul aziz he used to visit our mother often and would just sit with her and chat
00:31:01 and would just sit with her and chat whoever knew abdullah is would know just how much he could talk for our mother who loved his company she could listen to him all day and now she's at a loss
00:31:12 and now she's at a loss one of the hardest things we had to do as a family was to tell her the heartbreaking news of what had happened to such a wonderful family what happened to our family
00:31:24 what happened to our family it has almost been a year since the tragedy and yet she still calls on his name
00:31:30 i'll start by greeting you the way my brother would and it would be good morning governor if you're a man and good morning darling if you're a woman
00:31:41 if you're a woman we used to have our own private conversations it was our private time by the garages down from the tower people who lived there would know where that is just me and him
00:31:54 that is just me and him boy i wish i could talk to him now colleagues at uch remember him with real affection
00:32:03 one of the nurses janet said this to remember as is is to remember all right mate hello jane hello sis he had a twinkle in his eye and he did not take
00:32:14 twinkle in his eye and he did not take life too seriously he had the ideal temperament as a porter laid back chatty and friendly to staff especially patients it was an honor to know him
00:32:26 it was an honor to know him another colleague margaret noted as is was a wonderful man who knew how to make you laugh even if you didn't want to smile he had a beautiful smile that lit up the
00:32:37 he had a beautiful smile that lit up the room
00:32:39 room at the time of his death in june 27 17 abdul aziz was 52 years of age
00:32:50 his nephew zach said of him he was the glue to the family he kept the gears running when he passed away someone threw a wrench and the car
00:33:01 someone threw a wrench and the car stopped
00:33:03 stopped he was the number one guy
00:33:09 falzia fausia like her husband was born in irish morocco on the 1st of june 1975 to manana jabari and mustafar army
00:33:23 to manana jabari and mustafar army in commemorations her mother recalled that she was an ambitious creative child who challenged channeled her infectious energy into crafts and embroidery skills that as we will hear later she had a
00:33:35 that as we will hear later she had a great talent for she blossomed into a loving caring young woman who placed her family at the center of everything she did on her wedding day she described as the
00:33:46 on her wedding day she described as the most perfect princess she made the whole room glow falzier moved to london to live with abdullah's shortly after their marriage here she embraced her role as a wife
00:33:58 here she embraced her role as a wife provider and later a mother to three beautiful children yasin no huda and mehdi this was a role that she adored she was the anchor to the family
00:34:12 she was the anchor to the family fazia had some serious culinary skills and was able to create mouth-watering dishes from all over the world she also excelled in baking she was very good hostess and she loved
00:34:23 she was very good hostess and she loved to entertain their home was a hub for the family and friends
00:34:28 friends she was skilled in crafts in particular sewing knitting and crocheting filling the home with her creations sarah hernan's daughter was so impressed
00:34:39 sarah hernan's daughter was so impressed that she asked her aunt to teach her and falzia was more than happy to oblige fauzi was well known in the local community and attended various classes at the westway trust community center
00:34:52 at the westway trust community center she had plans for the future which would utilize her skills and give back to the community
00:34:58 community her last project was making scarves headbands and baby clothes all of these items were sold on portobello road market and the profits went back into the community
00:35:10 went back into the community bowser had planned to teach knitting and crochet as a volunteer at the community center and was eagerly awaiting confirmation that all the relevant dbs checks had been completed before she
00:35:22 checks had been completed before she could begin her dbs checks arrived in the post shortly after the 14th of june 2017 she was a calm and caring woman
00:35:34 she was a calm and caring woman she cared not only for her own children but also looked after often hanan's children
00:35:40 children zach and sarah she was like a second mum to them she was calm and grounded when nerhuda was born and she breathed through pain
00:35:52 and she breathed through pain no screaming she kept calm for the baby she was the same when yassin and media were born she stayed calm on the night for her family for the same reason
00:36:03 amina recalls that fauzia was like her sister to them all she remembers fawzi's beautiful smile she would smile and be cheerful and be kind with everyone in the family and
00:36:14 kind with everyone in the family and with neighbors and friends she also recalls fazio's incredible cooking and delicious food which she would prepare for the family pathology was 42 at the time of her
00:36:27 pathology was 42 at the time of her death
00:36:29 death yassin
00:36:31 yassin he was the eldest of the al-wahabi children born on the 9th of august 1996 he was just 20 years of age when he passed away like his sister he was born in
00:36:43 like his sister he was born in paddington he was a student those who knew yasin spoke eloquently of his leadership qualities this was a young man who was going places
00:36:53 places and he was going to make a mark to his cousins he was a real role model yassin inherited his father's gift of the gab which he used to great effect
00:37:06 the gab which he used to great effect if you had a problem with the assin then there was a problem with you he was
00:37:12 he was like a local celebrity to know yasin was to love yassin he was as zach says the realest guy you would ever meet to zach
00:37:23 to zach he was more than a cousin he was his older brother
00:37:29 no huda the only girl in the family she was born on the 27th of june 2001. she attended thomas jones primary school in holland park secondary school
00:37:41 school in holland park secondary school she was described by her teachers at holland park as a warm and good spirited 15 year old she loved playing football and she was incredibly skilled aggressive at agile
00:37:55 there was no one like her no huda had finished some of her gcses just before the fire her aunt anne picked up the results when they came
00:38:06 they came she'd got a in additional science and b in core science history pe maths english language and literature her parents would have been so proud of
00:38:17 her parents would have been so proud of her says
00:38:20 she like her father was a protector of the family she attended meetings of the grenfell compact group to translate for her mother and to keep her father up to date
00:38:31 mother and to keep her father up to date she looked out for and looked after her family
00:38:34 family helping her mum with her english course and assisting her with completing the awaited dbs checks she was very funny and good with children of all ages her cousins adored her
00:38:49 medi he was a baby of the family and everyone just loved him he was born on the 22nd of february 2009 and was just eight years old when he
00:39:01 and was just eight years old when he passed away he attended oxford gardens primary school
00:39:07 head teacher sarah cooper had had to break the news to his class that meddy had passed away she says this it was incredibly hard there was lots of
00:39:18 it was incredibly hard there was lots of sobbing but i think it was important because they were ready they were at that point where they could cry because of all the amazing work their teachers had done with them
00:39:29 their teachers had done with them we all cried together medy had an amazing imagination and was a wonderful storyteller again a chip off the old block
00:39:40 again a chip off the old block he had the gift of the gab and talked non-stop
00:39:45 constantine grass who was a local west london filmmaker made a documentary called grenfell the unsold story and in that documentary
00:39:57 and in that documentary he films the children in the tower playing laughing and joking we see mehdi drawing and telling his amazing stories he uses his imagination to tell tales of
00:40:10 he uses his imagination to tell tales of spacecrafts and monsters his aunt hernan says of him in the film he was just such a jolly jolly soul
00:40:21 in the same film marcia gomez describes a special bond that his children had with mehdi they would play and laugh together
00:40:30 together martial remembers mehdi being born and speaks lovingly of his lost neighbours the whole el-wahabi family medy had an infectious love
00:40:42 medy had an infectious love his cousin sarah says he was so funny and she had a recording of him which he still often re-listens to amazing imagination storyteller
00:40:55 amazing imagination storyteller non-stop talking like his dad with added imagination amina also treasured her memories of the three children and the time they spent together at her home
00:41:06 together at her home with her wider family she remembers the children as respectful and loving
00:41:14 the family moved into grenfell tower on the 8th of october 1996 under a council tenancy they lived together in flat 182
00:41:26 they lived together in flat 182 on the floor 21. this is their story on the 13th of june the various family members were seen entering the tower
00:41:39 entering the tower from the cc footage in the lobby
00:41:43 abdullah's movements during the day are unknown
00:41:46 unknown but his younger sibling hannah states that she'd met him and fawzia just outside the entrance to the tower as she was coming back in from work this would
00:41:57 was coming back in from work this would have been around about nine seven o'clock in the evening hanan states that yasin and mehdi were there with them but no huda was not they apparently told hanan that they were just going to the supermarket
00:42:11 were just going to the supermarket with abdul aziz mentioning he planned to buy some water the cctv footage from the lift lobby of the tower on tuesday the 13th of june 2017
00:42:22 2017 shows at
00:42:23 shows at 1815 no huda entering and then at 21 17 hours we see abdulaziz fawzia and their son medi approaching lyft
00:42:34 lyft in the image abdulaziz can be seen carrying bottles of water then at 0-0 47 on the 14th of june we see yassin approaching the lift
00:42:48 we know sir from all the presentations that we've heard to date about the rapid fire escalation
00:42:58 by the time that
00:43:01 that the first 999 call was made at 0 0 54
00:43:06 at 0 0 54 soon after calls were being made from the 21st floor the fire had spread to the external northeast along the sixes by o126
00:43:19 northeast along the sixes by o126 the kitchen window flat 186 and the lounge the external fry spread was outside the window the flat 181 that's separated only by the fire in the
00:43:32 that's separated only by the fire in the grenfell column which first was subjected to the vertical
00:43:38 impact this position for example can be seen on a floor plan of which we've seen many
00:43:46 we also know that the el wahabi's next-door neighbor lagaya more also
00:43:53 also sadly died in the fire
00:44:00 another resident of the 21st floor mustafa abdu in flat 184 woke up at 10 minutes past one he was awoken by a phone call from his
00:44:12 he was awoken by a phone call from his brother telling him that the tower was on fire and urging him to leave he reports smelling and seeing smoke on the landing even at that point
00:44:24 sir panel you've heard in graphic detail both in phase one and again during the presentation for logan gomez the details of the conditions on the
00:44:37 the details of the conditions on the 21st floor how they deteriorated and how they change
00:44:43 change given those conditions described by martial gomez over a very short period between
00:44:48 between o126 to o130 it appears that flat 186 the front door which had been replaced by the tmo was not in fact effective to prevent the
00:45:00 was not in fact effective to prevent the spread of smoke from that flat to the lobby areas it's against that background that we then look at the 999 calls that were made that night by the el wahabi
00:45:11 were made that night by the el wahabi family
00:45:13 family and also the telephone calls that were exchanged between various family members and those within the flat as with many others that night the phone calls between those trapped in the
00:45:25 calls between those trapped in the building and the outside world tell their story in real time these calls highlight how the official advice had been given and acted upon by the elwahabi family
00:45:37 the elwahabi family and that's juxtaposed against the increasingly desperate calls from families outside the tower urging willing and pleading them to leave a striking feature of all these
00:45:50 a striking feature of all these telephone calls by the el wahabi family is how calm and polite almost to the point of being apologetic they are
00:46:00 they are this is in the face of being told that they are wrong to believe what they are seeing and hearing
00:46:09 this is particularly the case in the call that begins with no huda speaking at 01 38 38 that lasts for 59 minutes
00:46:20 minutes the pan family are heard apologizing throughout this phone call showing their respect and deference for authority
00:46:29 authority and following the advice they were given over the telephone meanwhile hanan and her family and other family members who were gathering outside
00:46:39 outside were urging them to leave she had managed to evacuate her man as we said lived at flat 66 one of the sixes they became aware of the fire early on
00:46:51 they became aware of the fire early on and fled their flat shortly after seeing flames shoot up the outside of the building behind their living room window they did not make any nine-nine calls before they left
00:47:03 before they left they simply took to the stairs salah who had diabetes and mobility problems escaped last the cctv images show zach and sarah
00:47:15 the cctv images show zach and sarah escaping at 01 19 54. hanan at oh 1 21 34 and salah at 0-122
00:47:26 and salah at 0-122 once she had evacuated the tower hernan's first instinct was to call her brother
00:47:31 brother she did this at 0-1 22 am she looked up at the tower and she could see the extent of the fire it was now up to the 17th floor
00:47:42 it was now up to the 17th floor on her side of the building zach took a photo at 0122 and a video recording the first call to the family
00:47:53 the first call to the family came from hanan hanan shabika initially she tried to speak to falzia but when she could not get through she called nerhuda's phone after initially not answering no huda
00:48:05 after initially not answering no huda answered the phone
00:48:08 she was told there was a fire in the building and they needed to get out
00:48:14 she was told to tell her mother nahuda said okay ok i'll go to her she puts a phone down hanan wahhabi then called her brother
00:48:26 hanan wahhabi then called her brother from her mobile phone this was the first phone call she made that night to him she says in her inquiry statement abdullah's is answered my call and i
00:48:39 abdullah's is answered my call and i said to him there's a fire he said he was aware of something going on and he kept saying shall i come down what do you think i said i think you should get out and i told him it's on my
00:48:51 should get out and i told him it's on my side now not on your side he said sis i'm coming at that stage hannah could see the flames had reached the top of the tower
00:49:02 flames had reached the top of the tower she could hear and see people screaming and see chunks of material and debris falling from the tower
00:49:09 helen gabrielmescal from flat 186 made a 999 call at 26 54
00:49:17 26 54 she stated that she could smell smoke inside her flat she went on to the 21st floor landing when she returned to her flat she found that the fire had broken into her
00:49:29 that the fire had broken into her kitchen window via an extractor fan this is the call was transferred from bt operator in nottingham
00:49:39 the female caller says there is a fire in my flat flat 186
00:49:46 the operator says where are they the caller says everyone is out operator says stay outside there seems to be a language issue helen
00:49:58 there seems to be a language issue helen clarifies in her inquiry statement that she meant that the el wahabi family were outside their flat at this time helen opened the exit door
00:50:09 at this time helen opened the exit door leading to the stairwell and saw a lot of people coming upstairs which prevented her from descending she reports that these people told her and her daughter and the elwahabi family
00:50:21 and her daughter and the elwahabi family to go back to their flat she saw the el wahabi family go back into their flat at this point in time the conditions in the stairwell were sufficiently clear
00:50:32 the stairwell were sufficiently clear for occupants who were able to do so safely to evacuate via the communal stairs
00:50:40 stairs hanan makes a second phone call to her brother
00:50:43 brother a few minutes later at around about 1 30.
00:50:47 30. i called him back a few minutes later and i said i he said i tried but i couldn't because there was too much black smoke and we can't see
00:50:58 can't see we can't breathe
00:51:03 the description of the smoke was completely different from the smoke i had seen he said it's going to be all right sis isn't it it's going to be all right
00:51:14 right he kept telling me to say it and to say it's going to be all right so that meddy wouldn't panic he was especially worried about mehdi because he has epileptic fits when he becomes
00:51:27 he has epileptic fits when he becomes anxious and this had happened quite recently
00:51:30 recently fazio had told me about it at the gym so i said
00:51:34 so i said it'll be fine it'll be fine in the period between 01 26 54 and 0.138 the control room operators received a
00:51:45 the control room operators received a number of other calls from occupants on the 21st floor including further calls from helen gebremesko these calls made it clear that the fire
00:51:56 these calls made it clear that the fire had been adversely affecting those on that floor and that the situation was getting worse and worse at all 138 no huda begins her call that
00:52:08 at all 138 no huda begins her call that is taken by ciara jones
00:52:12 this phone call lasted some 59 minutes and 44 seconds and during the course of it various other members of the family spoke to cro jones
00:52:24 just reading a few extracts from that call
00:52:28 call it begins
00:52:29 it begins operator
00:52:31 operator the fire brigade are there caller the fire's coming up they're not here i'm trapped in my flat operator what flat number caller 182 it's coming up
00:52:45 caller 182 it's coming up operator are all the doors and windows closed yes is the smoke still coming in yes we try to go downstairs but it's too smoky stay in the flat
00:52:57 stay in the flat we're in the front room operator put something at the door to keep the smoke out
00:53:02 out caller i'll turn off the gas meter operator
00:53:07 operator window you can open it to give yourself some fresh air caller yes then the caller says don't worry yassin come here
00:53:18 come here i'm talking to my son operator
00:53:22 operator i don't want you to breathe in smoky air caller
00:53:25 caller it's not from outside but the smoke is coming in from the front of the flat it's very smoky on the landing operator don't go out there has the smoke stopped coming in
00:53:37 has the smoke stopped coming in it has stopped how many of you are there caller five me
00:53:43 five me wife three kids i'll look through the spy hole it's very smoky we did try to leave to walk downstairs by the stairway but we came back quickly
00:53:55 came back quickly some smoke followed us into the flat this is why i'm so confused now at around 0-145 cro jones was informed by the family the flames were to the
00:54:08 by the family the flames were to the left of their flat 182 and then at around 0-156 that the flames were next door to their flat and just before
00:54:19 and just before o158
00:54:20 o158 that the flat was now quote really smokey
00:54:25 smokey at around oh 159 ciara jones
00:54:29 jones informed them was informed that the smoke had started coming into the flat through the windows as well these are the windows that she'd originally advised her family to open for fresh air
00:54:40 for fresh air she then advises the family to close the windows where the smoke is coming in and to wet tea towels and put them over their mouths at 0.205
00:54:50 at 0.205 ciara jones was told that the fire was near the living room and that it reached the kitchen having established that there was nowhere else to go and no balcony cro jones advises a family to move into
00:55:03 cro jones advises a family to move into the bedroom i.e the parents bedroom which is opposite the front door and to open a window and remain there she says
00:55:13 she says wanna let them know where you are the fire brigade will have oxygen when they get to you at 0-212 she advises him that hopefully
00:55:24 at 0-212 she advises him that hopefully the fire fighters will be there soon this was said again at 0-213 and at 0-216 and then just before o221 she again
00:55:36 and then just before o221 she again advises her family that the firefighters would be there soon saying believe me and a few seconds later she reassures the family that the firefighters knew where they were
00:55:49 it was during this period of this call to cross jones that martial made his call at 02 2104 he told cro heidi fox that he could not
00:56:02 he told cro heidi fox that he could not get out but his wife was pregnant and he had two daughters with him he also mentioned the neighbor and her daughters
00:56:10 daughters ciara fox advised him the firefighters were going to his flat at that moment he made it clear in calls at 0246 58 025 38 and 0309 52
00:56:26 025 38 and 0309 52 that the situation was becoming increasingly unbearable at 0 3 28 15 during a 999 call martial
00:56:37 at 0 3 28 15 during a 999 call martial whilst on the phone to cro fox led his family
00:56:42 family down the stairs back to norjuda's core at approximately o2 222 ciara jones was told that the fire was in the corridor of the flat
00:56:53 of the flat and that approximately 0-224 that the smoke was coming into the bedroom now she told the family to cover their mouths and approximately at 0 2 20 20
00:57:06 mouths and approximately at 0 2 20 20 to get
00:57:07 to get as close to the floor as they could because they could not open any more windows
00:57:13 windows throughout this lengthy 999 call hanan and other members of her family were having desperate phone calls with abdul aziz fauzia and the children hannah phoned a third time
00:57:26 hannah phoned a third time this time falzia picked picked up the telephone
00:57:30 telephone hernan told her that the fire was now on top of the building she pleaded you need to get out in the background she could hear abdullah's speaking to the emergency services this is most likely the long
00:57:43 services this is most likely the long telephone call of 59 minutes with ciara jones
00:57:48 jones hannah understood that the family had been told that firefighters were coming to rescue them and they were to stay put falzia seemed calm hanan recalls telling her sister-in-law
00:57:59 her sister-in-law as soon as i see the fire approaching your window i will call you back
00:58:06 after this third call to abdul aziz and his family hannah could see that the fire spread has now turned into an upside down l shape
00:58:16 shape first it went up to the top of the building on her side then suddenly it started to move across past the corner of the tower with all the flats ending one and in the direction of the corner
00:58:27 one and in the direction of the corner of the building where her brother's flat was from there it went down the building again on the side where her brother's flat was
00:58:35 flat was as this horror unfolded hannah and her family outside the tower could see abdullah ziz and his family inside their flat at the windows
00:58:48 at own 215 she makes her fourth call to abdullah's is
00:58:54 is fauzia again picks up hannah was more forceful and desperate this time and she simply said get out her sister-in-law's plaintive reply was
00:59:05 her sister-in-law's plaintive reply was we are trying we are trying by this stage hanan's sister amina had joined her together with amina's daughter yuzura
00:59:16 together with amina's daughter yuzura fazio was saying the fire is in the kitchen now we've been told to go to the bedroom and put down wet towels zach was able to phone his cousin yassin no huda abdulaziz and fazia he used a
00:59:30 no huda abdulaziz and fazia he used a friend's phone in response to the call that commenced at 0239.09 and confirming that flames are coming through the family were again
00:59:42 coming through the family were again told
00:59:43 told they the firefighters are coming at 03 02 43 54 there was a further call again with ciara fox
00:59:54 ciara fox she asked no huda whether they are able to get out safely she advised her to get out but then the line cleared before she could say anymore
01:00:08 a brief extract of that call caller
01:00:14 i've just spoken to someone i'm stuck in my house five of us inside two adults three children we're dying
01:00:24 we're not able to get out by ourselves safely outside the property operator get damp towels and sheets and put them over yourselves the line then goes dead
01:00:38 three minutes later cro adams has a call from norhuda
01:00:44 during this call the family say they are now under the bed
01:00:52 we are dying and we can't get out they are told the fire service is on its way
01:01:01 abdul aziz stated
01:01:05 i could have got out a long time ago we could have but they said stay in the flat stay in the flat we stayed in the flat we didn't leave and then being repeatedly advised to
01:01:16 and then being repeatedly advised to leave the building the family explain that there is now too much smoke and they can't breathe
01:01:26 caller likely to be abdullazis there are five of us we're stuck now in the flat operator right now you need to get out of the building
01:01:37 get out of the building abdullah says i can't
01:01:41 i can't call operator we are advising people to leave the building you have to make your way out
01:01:47 way out of the building don't use the lift cover yourselves with wet towels and sheets i'm going to have to leave you now i have so many calls coming in
01:01:59 abdul as is you can't leave operator sorry i have to go the call ends but it's then reconnected
01:02:11 but it's then reconnected this time again cro adams the caller says we're dying please help me please
01:02:23 sierra adam advises the family need to get out
01:02:27 get out but she was again told that they could not do so because of the smoke she repeats the advice she told them to try and leave
01:02:38 at 02 53 57 the family make another call cro hausen is the operator this time she is told that the family is stuck
01:02:50 is told that the family is stuck they cannot breathe and that the fire is now inside their flat she said in that case they needed to leave
01:02:59 leave she is told that they have tried but the smoke is black and it's in the corridors and they can't leave because they would faint ciara's housedon's advice was that they
01:03:10 ciara's housedon's advice was that they should feel their way to the stairwell and get down and get out of the building she was told that they would try and do so
01:03:30 the caller says we're going to die we're going to faint the operator you need to feel your way along the wall put towels in your mouth stay together
01:03:42 put towels in your mouth stay together take small steps call her we're going to try
01:03:49 in this final reconnection all that can be heard on listening the recording
01:03:55 recording is a female screaming
01:03:59 screaming that's a 02 57 34
01:04:10 flat 182 should have been a priority for evacuation as it was known that there were children in the flat there was no firefighter cruise
01:04:22 there was no firefighter cruise deployed
01:04:24 deployed or make or make it or making it to that floor
01:04:28 floor we know that at 0-1 56 the paddington crew had been deployed to go to the roof to try and throw water over the external facade
01:04:40 and around 0-12 crew manager wiggly with firefighters harris gilliam gonzalez and roberts believed that they had reached the 20th floor
01:04:52 the 20th floor they located for duma ahmed in the corner of the stairwell firefighter dean roberts states that he left her with firefighter gillum and proceeded to
01:05:03 firefighter gillum and proceeded to floor 21 and 22 to see if he could locate further casualties
01:05:11 he says that he opened the door to each floor and found the lobbies they were heavily filled with smoke he said he shouted and kicked the entrance door to the stairwell
01:05:25 this appears to be the only firefighter who made it to the 21st floor
01:05:31 no firefighters were able to get to the floor
01:05:35 floor and knock on any of the doors fire fighters reddington and upton were deployed to flats 182 and 183 on the 21st floor
01:05:46 and 183 on the 21st floor they tallied out to 024 07 and 0249 4439 respectively they never reached as far as floor 21 as
01:05:58 they never reached as far as floor 21 as they found an unresponsive female and then a woman who is likely to have been pharah hamdan and her child malik from flat 175
01:06:09 hamdan and her child malik from flat 175 on the floor at floor 20. on reaching back at the bridgehead firefighters reddington upton reported they had been unable to get to floor 21
01:06:21 they had been unable to get to floor 21 their end of where time was 03 06 59 and 03 07 52 am
01:06:32 and 03 07 52 am the family made no further calls they had no further contact with abdul-aziz fawzia and the children thereafter
01:06:43 when it got light salah took sarah to amina's house some of the family went to the portobello rugby club which someone said had opened early
01:06:56 they stayed on the scene
01:07:00 yuzuru reported the family missing to the metropolitan police casualty bureau her and her mother had been present throughout desperately waiting with other family members for news of
01:07:11 other family members for news of abdulaziz and his family people were giving them conflicting information alleged sightings of mehdi and yassin meanwhile fawzia's mother manana was
01:07:24 meanwhile fawzia's mother manana was hundreds of miles away in morocco she was helpless desperately trying to reach her daughter and son-in-law but they never picked up no one official contacted her to tell
01:07:36 no one official contacted her to tell her what had happened for over two weeks she was reliant upon the family in london providing her with updates but they themselves knew little and struggled to get information from the authorities
01:07:49 the authorities the family did not really receive final confirmation that abdul aziz falzia
01:07:57 had all died until weeks later on the 7th of july 2017
01:08:06 they identified jury belonging to abdullah's is and his family the remains of each of the family members
01:08:16 members were found in their flat and they were identified through dna and dental records according to dr harrison's archaeological records they died in close proximity to each other
01:08:29 close proximity to each other together in one bedroom they were all lying close to each other
01:08:36 from his analysis of the family the following can be gleaned according to professor persa from approximately 2 a.m to 2 45
01:08:47 from approximately 2 a.m to 2 45 the family would have had a reasonably good possibility of escape or rescue if they had felt able to cross the smoke-filled lobby and enter the stairwell
01:08:57 stairwell this was because the conditions in the stairwell were more hazardous by this time but for those with limited pre-exposure to smoke inside their own flats up to that time it may have been
01:09:10 flats up to that time it may have been possible to descend with a low probability of collapsing in the stairs for the adults younger children would have had more difficulty and been more susceptible to collapse on the stairs
01:09:24 susceptible to collapse on the stairs around approximately o2 45 the smoke and its fixing gases concentration in the bedroom and the hallway of the flat is likely to have
01:09:35 hallway of the flat is likely to have increased rapidly flat 182 occupants are likely to have accumulated a significant dose of asphyxians by this time so that although they might have been
01:09:46 so that although they might have been able to cross the lobby
01:09:50 to flat say 183 as did the occupants of flat 192
01:09:55 flat 192 they would have been unlikely to have collapsed on the stairs before they could have walked to the ground so pre-zero to 45 they could have escaped
01:10:08 to 45 they could have escaped which is significant when you look at the advice they were given
01:10:17 concluding remarks
01:10:23 the rapper and activist loki in his work ghost from grenfell called out the bravery of yasin he ends his rap with these bars
01:10:35 he ends his rap with these bars to whom it may concern the royal borough of kensington and chelsea
01:10:41 chelsea where is yasin el wahabi where is his brother mehdi where is his sister norhuda where is their mother where is her father
01:10:52 where is her father loki then asked the same question for each and every resident who died that night
01:11:01 returning to the film grenfell the unstold story towards the end constantine grass shows a clip from the inquiry phase one when hanan gave evidence
01:11:14 when hanan gave evidence sir panel
01:11:16 sir panel you may well remember that part of the inquiry where hanan made a heartfelt and coruscating plea on behalf of her
01:11:28 and coruscating plea on behalf of her family and all the families at grenfell for truth
01:11:32 for truth justice and accountability
01:11:37 one branch of the family survived hanan
01:11:41 hanan her husband her children because they lived in flat 66 they became aware of the fire early on and fled their flat shortly after seeing those flames they
01:11:54 shortly after seeing those flames they did not make any 999 calls before leaving
01:11:57 leaving and all took the stairs the last member escaping at 0-122
01:12:05 they evacuated they survived they lived to mourn the loss and question why the other branch of the family on the 21st floor did not survive
01:12:18 21st floor did not survive abdul aziz and his entire family his beloved wife his cherished three children
01:12:26 children they all died that fateful night one of the most heartbreaking things arising out of this heartbreaking loss of life for this family was breaking the
01:12:37 of life for this family was breaking the news to sergio that her son her daughter-in-law and her three grandchildren had all gone tragically this devastating loss was replicated identically
01:12:49 identically on the other branch of the family with fuzzies mother manana learning from the shores of aaresh that this family's special place her daughter her son-in-law and three
01:13:01 her daughter her son-in-law and three grandchildren had gone two mothers grandmothers from each branch of the family united by the incomprehensible tragedy of losing not only a child but a grandchild
01:13:14 only a child but a grandchild a common experience that flies in the natural order of life and that no person should ever have to endure in the intervening years the families have had more loss
01:13:26 have had more loss abdul aziz's beloved sister
01:13:31 and his brother-in-law
01:13:35 when grenfell tower caught a light on the 14th of june 2017 the news filtered through across the globe
01:13:43 globe people watched and heard about the horrors they cried for strangers they had never met one part of the globe was particularly hurt
01:13:54 hurt the city of aresh mourned it mourned for its lost sons and daughters
01:14:00 daughters for friends and families taken too soon for people who would never again see the beautiful city its golden beaches and its clear azure blue waters for the people who'd lost their futures
01:14:13 for the people who'd lost their futures and who would never realize their hopes and aspirations for the peoples whose dreams would never be fulfilled for abdul aziz falzia
01:14:23 falzia yassin
01:14:25 yassin no huda and mehdi el al-wahabi thank you
01:15:29 thank you very much miss munro we'll have a short break at this point we'll rise now we'll resume please at 20 to 4. thank you very much
01:40:39 yes just a minute thank you mr chairman mr chairman members of the panel we have now come to the end of module 8
01:40:50 we have now come to the end of module 8 the final module in this inquiry during the last three weeks in addition to the evidence of the professionals who worked on recovery identification
01:41:01 identification and cause of death of the deceased we have heard many accounts of the facts bearing on how those who lost their lives in the tower in the early hours the 14th of june 2017
01:41:15 early hours the 14th of june 2017 came to meet their end the inquiry team and i are grateful to all council for the bereaved for their presentations and for the mostly neutral way in which the
01:41:26 for the mostly neutral way in which the relevant facts were presented that cannot have been easy we are also grateful that this advanced point in our work for the sensitive and dignified
01:41:37 for the sensitive and dignified recalling
01:41:38 recalling of who each of the individuals who died were
01:41:43 were what they were like in life and what they went through in their final hours and minutes
01:41:52 there can be nobody who ever had a heart who hearing those presentations could remain unmoved and unthinking i offer two reflections on what we've
01:42:03 i offer two reflections on what we've heard
01:42:05 heard first
01:42:07 first there may have been times in the last three weeks when you were struck by the vast distances between the final terrible experiences of those who died what they saw
01:42:18 what they saw smelt
01:42:19 smelt heard
01:42:19 heard felt
01:42:20 felt feared and said in those last hours and the matters that we have investigated over the last two and a half years in this
01:42:30 this phase
01:42:31 phase how great
01:42:32 how great is the gulf between for example what jessica barney ramirez experienced in her final hour and the filler debate what did hamid khani's end have to do
01:42:45 what did hamid khani's end have to do with the nbs specification raymond bernard's final moments with the evolution of gra 3.2 the shukai's deaths with class naught
01:42:56 the shukai's deaths with class naught hesham rahman's with the lachenal case study
01:43:00 study what did our conics test 5b have to do with mahdi al-wahabi's last moments at times in these weeks you might have wondered whether we were sitting
01:43:13 wondered whether we were sitting in a completely different room listening to something wholly unrelated to all the other threads making up the fabric of this disaster and it is this perception of distance in
01:43:24 and it is this perception of distance in itself
01:43:25 itself which is an important discovery in our work it tells us how so many actions and omissions of so many people working in offices
01:43:36 working in offices and on their smartphones in meeting rooms on sites in testing houses discharging endless strings of emails have consequences perhaps far remote
01:43:47 have consequences perhaps far remote from their consciousness but which were always objectively present in the perpetually contingent each presentation that we have heard has built a bridge across that gulf
01:44:00 built a bridge across that gulf each presentation not only reminds us again of who we do this work for and why we do it
01:44:06 we do it but it also tells us that every decision every act
01:44:11 every act emission
01:44:12 emission interpretation understanding practice policy protocol affects someone somewhere
01:44:19 somewhere as someone who is unknown and unseen but who is an adored child a beloved sister a respected uncle a needed mother
01:44:30 sister a respected uncle a needed mother secondly
01:44:32 secondly i must add one further observation from council's chair sitting here my team and i
01:44:37 i can only admire the dignified bearing of those left behind the grieving families who still travel a hard road
01:44:46 hard road they have endured many months of detailed and often dry evidence with patience
01:44:51 patience and they have now come here to sit and hear these graphic and unsparing accounts in modest and silent reflection their dignity and their courage in the
01:45:02 their dignity and their courage in the face of the ineffable horror is its own tribute a light
01:45:07 a light shining out in the darkness mr chairman i would now ask that those who are able to stand for a 72 second period of
01:45:18 to stand for a 72 second period of silent reflection after which we will read the names of each of the names and the faces of those who perished at grenfell
01:45:29 perished at grenfell thank you very much mr millet well i invite you all to stand with me for a period of silence
01:46:48 while we remain standing mr millet will read the names of those who died
01:47:19 i
01:47:32 hassan
01:47:41 debbie lamprell
01:47:46 jessica avano ramirez
01:48:02 tom
01:48:05 raymond bernard
01:48:10 abdeslam
01:48:15 hasham rahman
01:48:29 muhammad hamid
01:48:44 marjorie vitale
01:48:48 ernie vitale
01:48:53 marco gottardi
01:48:58 gloria trevisan
01:49:02 syria shuker
01:49:07 basim shuker
01:49:11 nadia shuker
01:49:26 care
01:49:40 hashem
01:49:55 gary maunders
01:50:00 anthony disson
01:50:04 lagaya mor
01:50:08 sheila
01:50:12 victoria king
01:50:16 alexandra atala
01:50:21 mary mendy khadijah say
01:50:29 farah hamdan
01:50:33 omar belkadi
01:50:47 logan gomez
01:51:15 idris
01:51:18 isaac paulos
01:51:23 vincent chagina
01:51:27 joseph daniels
01:51:32 steve power
01:51:37 abu frass ibrahim
01:51:41 israel ibrahim
01:51:46 fathya ahmed
01:51:56 dennis murphy
01:52:00 zainab dean
01:52:04 jeremiah dean
01:52:09 abdulaziz al-wahabi
01:52:13 fawzia el wahabi
01:52:28 hobby
01:52:31 maria del pilar or pilly burton who as i explained at the start of this module did not die at grenfell and had no inquest open for her but she
01:52:43 and had no inquest open for her but she lived at grenfell tower and is remembered by her husband nicholas burton and her community thank you mr chairman thank you very much
01:53:03 the completion of module 8 brings us to the end of the inquiry's hearings
01:53:09 hearings apart that is from overarching closing statements that will be heard during the week of the 7th of november as the hearings come to an end we enter
01:53:20 as the hearings come to an end we enter the next stage of our work and it may appear to some that the inquiry is no longer active but i want to assure you that that is not the case the task facing the panel is now one of
01:53:33 the task facing the panel is now one of considerable proportions the inquiry has disclosed to core participants over three hundred thousand documents all of which are considered to be of
01:53:44 all of which are considered to be of relevance in one way or another to the matters under investigation it has obtained over fifteen hundred witness statements and has sat for more than 300 days
01:53:58 and has sat for more than 300 days most of which have been devoted to taking evidence from a wide range of factual and expert witnesses the panel's task with the assistance of the inquiry team
01:54:10 the inquiry team and its assessors is to digest all that material and identify the causes of the grenfell tower fire and the responsibilities of those involved
01:54:23 involved anyone who's followed the inquiry's proceedings will understand that that is not a simple task although it's possible to identify some decisions relating to the refurbishment
01:54:35 decisions relating to the refurbishment that had an immediate effect the wider causes of the fire have their roots in the culture of the construction industry
01:54:43 industry and the regulatory regime which applies to building work amongst other things decisions taken by many different people over the course of many years
01:54:55 over the course of many years conspired to create a building which in june 2017 was vulnerable to a catastrophic fire resulting from the failure of a common type of domestic appliance
01:55:09 in the course of the hearings it has become apparent that many mistakes were made
01:55:15 made and many witnesses have acknowledged that they or the organizations they represented failed in one way or another to meet the standards to be expected of them
01:55:27 standards to be expected of them however in order properly to identify and evaluate the underlying causes of the fire
01:55:33 the fire the panel will have to consider the evidence in detail to determine the extent to which such failures contributed to the disaster when seeking to identify the causes of a
01:55:45 when seeking to identify the causes of a major tragedy in which so many people died
01:55:49 died it is important that criticism should be directed at those who truly bear substantial responsibility for what occurred
01:56:00 occurred i cannot say therefore at this stage how long it will take us to produce our report
01:56:06 report we are of course acutely aware that all those who have an immediate interest in the outcome of the inquiry and i think particularly of the bereaved survivors and local residents need us to complete our work as quickly
01:56:18 need us to complete our work as quickly as possible we ourselves are anxious to do that but we also know that if our report is to carry weight and if the recommendations it contains
01:56:30 and if the recommendations it contains are to have real force it must be comprehensive well-reasoned and persuasive it is not possible to produce a report that meets all those requirements
01:56:41 that meets all those requirements overnight
01:56:43 overnight we shall work as hard as we can but the task may take us a little while we understand that those most seriously affected by the fire will find waiting for our report difficult but we ask
01:56:56 for our report difficult but we ask everyone to bear with us while we carry out our work
01:57:02 as you know the inquiry team has shouldered an enormous task in preparing for
01:57:07 for and organizing the hearings and i should like to thank them all for their hard work and commitment they will now help us to marshal all the evidence for the purposes of writing our
01:57:18 evidence for the purposes of writing our report
01:57:20 report and have already made significant progress towards that end we cannot reach any final conclusions until we've heard the overarching closing statements of course
01:57:31 closing statements of course but that will not prevent us from starting work immediately after the summer break we have already had some preliminary discussions about the shape of the report
01:57:40 report and we'll be pursuing our review of the evidence without delay
01:57:47 at this point i i should like to express my profound gratitude to all those who work tirelessly to support the hearings and ensure that they could be conducted
01:57:58 and ensure that they could be conducted as effectively as possible i have in mind not only our council solicitors secretariat and support staff but also those who provide the filming
01:58:09 but also those who provide the filming and livestream service the rolling transcript and the electronic document management system and of course i should not omit our team of ushers who've done so much to ensure
01:58:21 of ushers who've done so much to ensure that the hearings ran smoothly above all however before we conclude this session i should like on behalf of the panel
01:58:32 i should like on behalf of the panel to pay our own respects to the bereaved survivors and residents of north kensington some of whom have attended the hearings regularly
01:58:41 regularly and many of whom have been here during the past three weeks to observe and by their presence to contribute to the presentations we have heard
01:58:52 the presentations we have heard we have been greatly impressed by their dignity in the face of the evidence much of which has been of a distressing nature
01:59:00 nature and by their fortitude in response to an appalling tragedy
01:59:07 thank you all very much that closes our hearing for today we shall as i've said in my remarks to be working very hard as quickly as we can to produce our report thank you all
01:59:18 can to produce our report thank you all very much
01:59:35 you