Grenfell victims dead or unconscious before flames reached them, inquiry finds

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy All of the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster whose bodies were destroyed by fire were dead or unconscious by the time the flames reached them, an inquiry has found. The report found that all of the victims burned by the fire were dead or unconscious due to “inhalation of asphyxiant gases”, primarily carbon monoxide. Sir Martin said expert evidence suggested it was possible to descend the tower’s stairs “without danger of collapse” by 1.49am. “Those who did not survive the journey down the stairs had inhaled a significant amount of asphyxiant gases while in their flats and before entering the stairs.” The report added that the “key distinction” between those who survived and those who died is that “those who survived left before the fire spread to the outside of their flats or the rooms in which they were sheltering”.