To put things into perspective, the attached photo is the aftermath of the 1968 Ronan Point disaster in London, which left only 4 people dead and injured 17. It was the result of a gas explosion within one of the flats’ kitchens. The explosion damaged structural elements in a way that resulted in a disproportionate and progressive collapse of the remaining structure. As a consequence, every building regulation and structural standard / code of practice has been adapted to deal with this issue.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronan_Point17 people dying as the result of a fire in a recently refurbished building, located in the capital city of the United Kingdom, is completely and utterly unacceptable. No excuses.
Those who think this is a London media bias should think about the world-wide media coverage Aberfan had. Catastrophies such as this attract large amounts of media attention.
The media should quite rightly report this story and ensure that there is no cover up. However, what I would also say, is that people should not jump to conclusions, even those in the profession as we do not have all of the facts.
The cladding (given its recent alterations and the way the fire spread) will naturally form a key part of the investigation. But what is typical in such engineering failures is a catalogue of errors.
I would also say that those who are seeking the immediate opportunity to politicise this disaster are out of place. Questions have been asked about the effect of austerity measures on the council’s ability to address any concerns/issues regard the safety of these buildings. I think those questions are premature and opportunistic given the recent general election. We should way to see the findings of the forensic engineers and the Coroner’s Court.