Witness Accounts

Hundreds of witness accounts are being uploaded daily onto the web by local people and their well wishers. Here we draw them together and annotate so visitors may access their voices.

Date	Time	Name & URL	Platform	Situation of speech	Content
14/06	0905	Mahad Egal	BBC	11 minute onsite interview with surviving father of two by Victoria Derbyshire	Incredibly lucid and descriptive. Spoke to neighbour whose fridge exploded at bottom of flats at 0110. Was amongst the first ten families out. fire was very isolated at that point, just tree height, three layers of panels. Fire seems controllable, but then flames climbed suddenly. Bollards were blocking fire engines from coming to the green. Presidents and fire services were in dialogue about what was going on. Fire brigade hesitated, to tackle the fire immediately, hoses only went on the fire later 2-3 am. ( lack of back up?) Gave fire brigade his keys because they had no access to the building. He has lived there since february and been campaignign to housing officers and TMO about health and safety. Gas storage risks may well have dissuaded people from evacuated. Some lights in the stair well were out of order. Can only pray for and support the victims, pray and praise fires services efforts
15/06	Day	Amina	BBC	Early hours observation of the tower fire.	Highlights staggered police arrival. Police pushed them away, preventing families from saving relatives before the fire really took hold. Has video footage with time stamps to prove it. She gave videos to media who refused to air them. Says more than 50 children and 50 others are dead. (Interviewer but in to try and discredit this) Firemen came 2 hours later, were obstructed from the building, by the time they were getting water on the fire it was 425. Fire was burning from the outside in, not the inside out. Mentions some local Muslim victims feeling that this revenge for London Bridge.
15/06	Day	LowKey	Malcontents	8 minute account from a local eyewitness with friends in the building.	Discusses details of the fire and wider political situation of cuts, neglect, neoliberalism and gentrification. Has lost friends and loved ones in the fire. Reflects on Mahmoud Darwish poem, The House is a Casualty. Calls for accountability, reparations, local rehousing and imprisonments. Invites victims to contact him is they need anything.
16/06	Day	Christos	The Left Side of History	20 minute detailed interview of resident and escapee with artist Lowkey.	Recounts his encounter with the fire and communications with emergency services. He heard a knock at his door, and an alarm. Talks about previous tower fires not spreading so much. Christos escapes at his 4th attempt, describes the fumes, recalls falling over bodies in the stair well and passes out. He gets out at ~430.
16/06	Day	Ismahil Blagrove	Grenfell Tower Media	Writer from the community talks to a journalist candidly and critically about journalists.	Turns journalists question back on him. How the community knows people in the tower. Talks about his daughters pain mentions that artist Khadijah Saye was killed. Media feeding frenzy vs lived reality of locals. The situation has been brewing for years, residents have been commissioning their own independent reports. Critiques the 'Lessons learned' platitudes given 2009 Camberwell fire. This is a case of corporate manslaughter. Challenges the media for facilitating, mouthpiecing and validating corrupt government. You are all in it together. Mentions an ITV reporter talking to him about property values. Tells reporter that people don't believe the media any longer, people are immune , citing high Corbyn vote. Calls for revolutionary change.
17/06	Day	Nadia	PressTV	Exhausted local volunteer realising that everyone is dead.	Oxfam and Red Cross aren't helping them. Sell donated gear to pay for victims funerals. Has met volunteers and well wishers, but distraught that she hasn't met any of the people she grew up with Says there are going to be 500 funerals. Demands to see the victims shes been trying to help. Government and whoever wrapped building should be held to account. Tells viewers to follow her DJIsla Instagram account.
14/06	Day	Corinne Jones and her partner Jason Miller	BBC News	Fire brigade came to check fire alarm and gave advice on Sat 10/06/17.	Escaped from the 17th floor with their young sons.