In the days after the fire, survivors faced chaos, confusion and a desperate search for family and friends.
Hisam Choucair, who lost six relatives in the fire, visited 11 hospitals with his brother.
“I know I shouldn’t have done this but I snuck into the intensive care unit [at St Thomas’ hospital]... I searched the whole ward… I had to open curtains. It was wrong but I felt like it was the right thing to do… I am sorry for whoever’s privacy I invaded but it was through desperation,” he told the Grenfell Inquiry.
Some of the victims’ deaths were not confirmed until months later, with experts verifying identity through DNA and dental records. The final death toll from the fire is 72 people. The youngest victim, Logan Gomes, was stillborn in hospital the morning after the fire. Maria Del Pilar Burton, 74, was rescued from the blaze but died in hospital in January 2018.
Many of the men, women and children who escaped Grenfell fled with nothing but the pyjamas they were wearing. Some left without shoes.
They were sheltered in emergency ‘rest centres’ - but the authorities struggled to cope with even the most basic needs.
Charity boss Mark Simms, who helped victims on the morning of the fire, said residents were "left to God and good neighbours" after council blunders. Local people, charity workers and other official bodies, including nearby councils, stepped in to help victims and people looking for loved ones.
Survivors were eventually rehoused - but some of the accommodation was poor. Hanan Wahabi told the inquiry she was forced to live in a one-bedroom hotel room with her husband and two children for 18 months after they escaped the fire, which killed five of their relatives. She also said they were not given Halal food and had to eat meals with holidaymakers.
Emma Louise O’Connor is desperate to move to a new home after four years of living in a flat close to three fire stations, where the constant sound of sirens triggers her PTSD.
