On 20 June, Netflix released Grenfell: Uncovered, a full-length documentary on the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire tragedy in which 72 people died. This marks the first time the events surrounding the fire have been portrayed in such depth through an international broadcast.
The documentary conveys that ignored safety warnings, regulatory failings, and cost-driven decision-making by public authorities and industry stakeholders created the deadly conditions for such a tragedy to occur. It also recounts the evidence and findings of the Independent Grenfell Tower Inquiry (GTI).
The role of insulation in the spread of the fire
The documentary tells a familiar story about the role of cladding and international references to cladding fires. What’s more, as the GTI uncovered, the combustible insulation on the tower played a significant role in contributing to the spread of the fire.
Indeed, the plastic cladding and insulation on Grenfell Tower is estimated to have contained a fuel load equivalent to approximately 30,000 litres of petrol.
This combination of combustible components was not inevitable. It followed a series of missed warnings and regulatory oversights that allowed such materials to be widely used on high-rise buildings.
Missed opportunities for regulations
The documentary shows how key policymakers dismissed warnings following earlier fatal fires, such as the 2009 Lakanal House tragedy. Recommendations to strengthen evacuation planning and restrict combustible materials went unheeded.
Similarly, the Inquiry itself found that these were “missed opportunities” to tighten regulations in the immediate years before the Grenfell tragedy, and that the failure to act was not a one-off error but was a part of a broader pattern of deregulation and cost-cutting throughout the industry and government.
While there has been meaningful progress since 2017, including the establishment of the Building Safety Regulator and major funding commitments for remediation, much more remains to be done. For example, the current definition of “higher‑risk buildings” under the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) only captures structures over 18m tall or with seven storeys, even though the Grenfell Inquiry found this threshold is “essentially arbitrary” and fails to account for critical factors like the presence of vulnerable residents.
Building a safer tomorrow:
ROCKWOOL has long campaigned for changing fire regulations in the UK and internationally to prohibit combustible façade insulation and cladding on high-rise and high-risk buildings. The documentary serves as further powerful motivation to continue pushing for strict fire safety building regulations – reminding policymakers and industry stakeholders that fire safety is about real people and real communities.
As the Government continues to implement the recommendations set out by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, it’s clear that progress is being made – but there is still a long way to go. The responsibility rests with us all to ensure we future-proof our built environment and put public safety first.