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The Latest: London Police Ponder Manslaughter in Tower Fire

The Latest: London Police Ponder Manslaughter in Tower Fire

Friday, 23 June 2017 12:38 PM EDT

LONDON (AP) — The Latest on London's public housing tower fire on June 14 that has killed at least 79 people (all times local):

3 p.m.

London police are considering filing manslaughter charges related to the fire at a west London apartment tower that killed at least 79 people.

The Metropolitan Police on Friday confirmed residents' suspicions that the June 14 inferno at Grenfell Tower was touched off by a refrigerator fire. The department also said exterior cladding attached to the 24-story public housing project during a recent renovation failed safety tests conducted by investigators, and that police have seized documents from a number of organizations.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack told reporters that "we are looking at every criminal offense from manslaughter onwards ... We are looking at all health and safety and fire safety offenses, and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower."

The government has ordered an immediate examination of the refrigerator model that started the blaze. McCormack said the Hotpoint model FF175BP refrigerator-freezer had not been subject to any product recalls before the fire.

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12:05 p.m.

Downing Street has ordered an immediate examination of the model of refrigerator that is believed to have sparked last week's Grenfell Tower fire that killed at least 79 people.

Metropolitan Police Detective Supt. Fiona McCormack said the Hotpoint FF175BP fridge-freezer had not been subject to any product recall.

The fire spread quickly through the tower block, leading to concerns that cladding on the building did not meet fire safety rules.

11:30 a.m.

London Police say manslaughter charges are among moves being considered over the Grenfell Tower fire that killed at least 79 people.

Metropolitan Police Detective Supt. Fiona McCormack says authorities are "looking at every health and safety and fire safety offense and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower."

McCormack also repeated calls for anyone with information on who might have been in the tower to come forward. The call comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan's pledge to seek an amnesty for people who may have been living in the tower illegally.

McCormack says: "What we haven't got is a picture of how many people might have been in there. That's the number I'm really worried about."

10:50 a.m.

British police investigating the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London in which 79 people are believed to have died say the blaze started in a fridge freezer. They added that insulation and tiles recovered from the building have failed fire safety tests.

Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack says officers have seized documents in the investigation into the fire.

"What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests," she told reporters Friday.

8:55 a.m.

British authorities are studying samples of similar to that used on the west London apartment building that caught fire, killing at least 79 people.

Eleven buildings have now been identified as having combustible cladding such as that used on the Grenfell Tower. The cladding is being studied amid fears that the panels fueled the fire in the 24-story building that was engulfed in less than an hour.

Buildings in London, Manchester and Plymouth are among those where problem cladding has been identified.

Fears about cladding is not limited to apartment buildings, and at least one hotel chain is calling in experts to make certain it meets safety regulations. Premier Inn said Friday it had "concerns" about the material on some of its buildings, though it is different to the type used on Grenfell.

© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Europe
The Latest on London's public housing tower fire on June 14 that has killed at least 79 people (all times local):3 p.m.London police are considering filing manslaughter charges related to the fire at a west London apartment tower that killed at least 79 people.The...
EU,Britain,London Fire,The Latest
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2017-38-23
Friday, 23 June 2017 12:38 PM
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