Grenfell works left no one happy, says tenant in fire-source flat

The tenant in the flat where the Grenfell Tower fire broke out has said refurbishment of the building degraded the property, creating gaps around his kitchen window and placing gas pipes in corridors.

Behailu Kebede, who lived in flat 16 on the fourth floor, said he had had no problems with his home before the work was completed in 2016, but afterwards “no one was happy” with what had been done.

He did not give evidence in person to the inquiry into the fire, but extracts from his many statements to the inquiry and police were read out on Thursday by Richard Millett QC, counsel to the inquiry.

CCTV images were shown of his movements that night and of the first firefighters arriving at the tower shortly after 1am on 14 June last year.

In his main statement, Kebede, who came to the UK from Ethiopia in 1990, said he had enjoyed living in Grenfell Tower for 25 years. “The building was cosmopolitan and a multicultural melting pot of people from all around the world. It was symbolic of the community around Ladbroke Grove and Portobello Road,” he said.

“My flat was spacious and beautifully lit. Friends who visited said it was so lovely. Before the refurbishment I had no issues with my flat but after the refurbishment no one was happy. All we were shown [beforehand] was a picture of how it might look after it was finished.

“Gas pipes were installed in the corridors, which were a potential risk. They made [the corridors] narrower. I heard there were power surges and damage to fridges and laptops.”

The window in his kitchen was not fitted properly, Kebede said. Air entered from outside. Eventually sealant was put around the window but that did not solve the problem.

“Ironically, after the refurbishment there was a greater sense of community because no one was happy with the [work],” he said. “I had no idea that highly flammable cladding had been installed on the outside of the building.”

Kebede, 45, said he had never repaired his Hotpoint fridge-freezer, which he believed was where the fire started. It had never caused any problems and had never needing repairing. He thought he had bought it from Brent Cross shopping centre five years earlier for £250.

Kebede had been subletting the two bedrooms in his flat to two people, the inquiry was told. No one smoked in his flat or used candles, he said in his statements.

He had been out that night driving for Uber and did not return until about 11.45pm. The kitchen window had been left open, he said.

About an hour after falling asleep on a mattress in the living room, Kebede said, he was “awakened by an unusual beeping, something that I did not recognise at first … I realised that it must be the fire alarm in the kitchen. I opened the door to the kitchen. The door handle was not hot.

“I looked inside for a few seconds. I saw smoke. It seemed to be coming from behind the Hotpoint fridge-freezer.”

He said he immediately called 999 and asked for the fire brigade. He woke his neighbours on the fourth floor by knocking on their doors.

CCTV images from the foyer of the building showed him leaving at 12.58am. He saw the fire brigade arriving. They “appeared relaxed and confident at first that they could put the fire out,” he said.

“While I was outside I saw the fire getting bigger and getting out of control. It was climbing the tower.” Shortly afterwards he saw the fire was burning intensely. “I could see people on the higher floors waving their hands.”

A statement given by Elsa Afeworki, who rented one of Kebede’s bedrooms, was also read out to the inquiry. She said she had gone to sleep at 11pm and was woken by her landlord knocking on the door.

She went downstairs. “I couldn’t believe how quickly it spread up the side of the building. It was horrific watching it going up and knowing there were people inside. I was so frightened I hardly knew what I was doing. After a short time the fire started making cracking and popping noises.

“It was so quick and so strong. No one could control it. It was like the way petrol catches fire. Children were outside and were shouting ‘Come out!’ and ‘Fire, fire!’ … I just don’t understand why the council would have put the cladding up on the building that they did.”

Kebede has said his family was harassed by journalists and they had to leave his partner’s home in Shepherd’s Bush. An article in the Daily Mail had accused him of being responsible for the fire, he said. “Since then we have all lived together in various hotels,” he added.