UK government confirms demolition of Grenfell Tower

The UK government on Friday announced plans to dismantle the remains of London’s Grenfell Tower, almost eight years after the deadliest fire in Britain since World War II swept through the high-rise apartment building, killing 72 people.

The confirmation comes hours after speculation of the announcement, which prompted criticism from survivors and victims’ families.

But the government said that redeveloping the site would help the community heal by removing the remains of the 24-story building, which looms over the North Kensington neighbourhood in west London, providing a constant reminder of the tragedy.

“Grenfell Tower will be carefully taken down to the ground,″ the government said in a statement.

A public inquiry into the disaster concluded that decades of failures by government, regulators and industry turned the building into a “death trap”.

The investigation found no “single cause” of the tragedy, but said a combination of dishonest companies, weak regulation and complacent government authorities resulted in the building being remodelled with combustible exterior cladding that that allowed a small refrigerator fire to spread rapidly, trapping dozens of residents in their homes.