What is the Grenfell Tower inquiry, who is Sir Martin Moore-Bick and when’s the report on the fire going to be published?
A PUBLIC inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire was launched in September 2017 with residents giving evidence from 3 October 2018.
The inquiry has faced criticism over its choice of leadership and there were calls from survivors and victims' families to broaden its scope. Here's what you need to know.
What is the Grenfell Tower Inquiry?
A public inquiry into the cause and spread of the fire officially opened on September 14, 2017 - exactly three months on from the inferno.
In November, it was revealed a total of 71 people died in the disaster.
The toll rose to 72 in January when Maria Del Pilar Burton, 74, died seven months later in hospital.
On May 21, 2018, the first public evidence sessions began with 72 seconds of silence in memory of the dead.
A video stream was also set up at Notting Hill Methodist Church, close to Grenfell Tower.
At the inquiry opening, Moore-Bick said: "[It] can and will provide answers to the pressing questions as to how a disaster of this kind could occur in 21st century London".
The is examining the immediate causes of the fire and how it spread, as well as the design and refurbishment of the tower.
Chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the fire was "the city's greatest tragedy since World War Two" and described it as "an event of unimaginable horror".
He said: "To experience it even at second hand, in the form of photographs and video recordings is shocking.
"When we die we live on in the memories of those who knew and loved us."
The Government also promised to consult on banning flammable cladding from high-rise buildings.
On June 4, it was reported that a montage of video clips showing the burning building sent in from the public was played to the official inquiry.
The footage showed how the blaze spread from a fourth floor flat up 19 storeys due to the building's combustible, exterior cladding in just 21 minutes.
In a report into how the fire started, University of Dundee Professor Niamh Daeid said that the fire began "in or around the tall fridge freezer" - but stops short of saying it definitely started in the freezer itself.
A "culture of non-compliance" was also criticised as an astonishing series of shortcomings in the system were exposed.
Disturbing photographs show the wreckage, with the partition between the kitchen and living room completely burned away.
Bodycam footage also revealed how Grenfell firefighters battered their way into the flat in the early hours to find the glowing flames - putting out the blaze just 13 minutes after getting into flat 16.
On October 3 one of the last people to escape the tower has claimed residents were bullied by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) during refurbishment of the block which left gaps round windows that allowed his flat to fill with smoke.
Antonio Roncolato lived on the 10th floor for 27 years and was the first residents to give evidence.
He described being trapped in the tower for six hours and said there was gaseous smoke "like you're going into a gas chamber".
A timeline of the Grenfell inquiry
- September 14, 2017: The inquiry formally opens,
- May 21, 2018: Commemoration hearings. Sir Martin begins hearing evidence at a central London attended by families and survivors.
- June 4: The evidential hearings are expected to begin at Holborn Bars
- June 18: Expert witness presentations
- June 21: Evidence relevant to the circumstances surrounding the initial outbreak of the fire
- July 2: Firefighters who battled the blaze give evidence
- September 3: Evidence from the bereaved, survivors and local residents
- October 29: Closing statements
Who is Sir Martin Moore-Bick?
Sir Martin Moore-Bick was appointed by the Prime Minister to be chairman of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry.
His high-profile career spanning 50 years recently came to an end when he retired as lord justice of appeal.
The father-of-four worked in the High Court before joining the Court of Appeal in 2005 where he was an adviser to Lord Chancellors Jack Straw and Lord Falconer.
Moore-Bick was criticised at first for his plans for a public inquiry not having "wider scope".
Survivors believed he should investigate the social and political conditions which allegedly allowed Grenfell to happen, but Moore-Bick said such issues were "not suitable for a judge-led inquiry".
Many claimed the judge failed to relate to those living in social housing.
LATEST ON GRENFELL TOWER
When will the report on the disaster be published?
The 71-year-old chairman says he hopes to produce an interim report as soon as possible but the full findings will not be delivered until after all the evidence has been heard.
Moore-Bick pledged the report will be "open, transparent and fair" and one that "gets to the truth as quickly as possible".
The findings will be presented to the Prime Minister with recommendations on how to improve safety.
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