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London Marks 5 Years Since Deadly Grenfell Tower Fire


Flowers and tributes left outside the remains of the Grenfell Tower, in London, June 14, 2022. Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the fire that killed 72 people.
Flowers and tributes left outside the remains of the Grenfell Tower, in London, June 14, 2022. Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the fire that killed 72 people.

London has marked the fifth anniversary of the deadly Grenfell Tower inferno that killed 72 in Britain’s deadliest residential fire since World War II.

In a subsequent investigation, the 23-story residential building was found to have widespread flaws in building regulations.

Among the events marking the anniversary was a memorial service held Tuesday at Westminster Abbey, including 72 seconds of silence and a wreath laying.

"The bereaved survivors and residents that I have spoken to are clear if nothing changes, those who lost their lives will have died in vain, and they are not prepared to accept that," solicitor Imran Khan told the congregation at Westminster Abbey.

The fire was started by an electrical problem in a refrigerator, but a combustible cladding system retrofitted to the tower's external walls was the main factor in the relentless spread of the deadly flames.

Some information in this report comes from Reuters.

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