Newsnight interviews Grenfell Tower's 21st floor survivors in special report
Interviews with survivors reveal traumatic accounts of escape as well as fond memories of the building’s diversity and sense of community
A special report by Newsnight, telling the stories of Grenfell Tower’s 21st floor residents, featured accounts from survivors about their traumatic escapes from the burning building.
The 14th June blaze at Grenfell Tower – which has 24 storeys in total – killed at least 80 people in the UK’s biggest loss of life from fire since the Blitz.
On Wednesday’s edition of Newsnight, the residents who escaped the 21st floor remembered their homes and paid tribute to the families who lost their lives.
That same evening, Kensington and Chelsea Council voted to end its contract with the company that managed Grenfell Tower.
Resident Marcio Gomes remembered the vast range of cultures living within the tower.
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Signs inside the building advised residents to stay inside in the event of a fire, and those who were trapped and called emergency services were also reportedly told on the phone to remain inside their homes.
Survivors paid tribute to their neighbours who perished.
Residents remembered fleeing the building, wrapping tea towels around their faces to protect their lungs from the smoke and tripping over bodies on their way down the stairs.
You can read the 21st floor residents’ stories in full on the BBC website, and watch a special report by Newsnight’s Katie Razzall on YouTube.
In future months, the BBC is aiming to tell the definitive story of the Grenfell fire with a landmark 90-minute documentary about the tragedy.
