Firm which installed cladding is reported to have since gone into liquidation
A “SHOCKED” building firm behind the renovation of a West London tower block that was left an inferno overnight claims its work “met fire regulations”.
Construction company Rydon carried out an £8.6m refurb of Grenfell Tower in May 2016.
But barely a year later at least six have been killed and scores injured after a blaze tore through the Ladbroke Grove tower.
Witnesses described how the flames raced up the building’s cladding.
One told Channel 4 News: “The fire blazing was and coming up really fast because of the cladding.
“The cladding was flammable - it just caught up like a matchstick.”
The cause of the fire and how it spread is not yet known.
Another resident called David Benjamin added: “I think what had happened is where it was in the kitchen on fire, it went through the kitchen window and then it started spreading up across the cladding.
"I think what had happened is where it was in the kitchen on fire, it went through the kitchen window and then it started spreading up across the cladding."
The firm behind the cladding work Harley Facades was placed into administration two years ago, the .
A search of business registration site DueDil showed the company was later placed into liquidation.
It had been paid £3million for the work.
Rydon’s director Andrew Goldman this morning admitted on Good Morning Britain that he didn’t know the “exact specifications” of the cladding.
He said: “We don't know there is any direct link between the fire and cladding.
"There are various different types of cladding and I don’t know the exact specifications.
“It’s a terrible disaster and again we want to get to the bottom as quickly as possible.
"All the materials that we used and the procedures we put in place follow health and safety guidelines.
"These things are signed off by the relevant authorities to make sure they comply."
A statement from the company on the “devastating” fire today read: “Rydon completed a refurbishment of the building in the summer of 2016 for KCTMO (Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation) on behalf of the council, which met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards.
"We will co-operate with the relevant authorities and emergency services and fully support their inquiries into the causes of this fire at the appropriate time."
The Sun attempted to contact Rydon for comment.
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said there had been a "number of fatalities" but could not say how many due to the size and complexity of the building.
She told reporters: "This is an unprecedented incident.
"In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never ever seen anything of this scale."
She said firefighters had only managed to get to the 19th and 20th storeys of the building.
Residents who escaped the inferno complained there had been no fire alarm, with people relying on neighbours to wake them as the blaze spread.
They said official advice in the event of a fire had been to stay inside.
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