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Grenfell Tower fire, London (photo: Natalie Oxford)
We do not yet know how horrific the death toll will be, but questions are already being asked about the Grenfell Tower fire. As there should be – a disaster of this scale should never have happened.
There are allegations that the cladding added in a recent renovation was flammable, that the renovation reduced the number of fire escapes at the lower levels (see plans here), that some residents had obstructed access by dumping rubbish, and that bad evacuation advice was given to residents. Hopefully there will be a full investigation, and enough policy changes to stop something like this from happening again.
Scientific Gems 
Tony
After the “Great Fire of London in 1666” regulations were introduced to ensure that flammable products, ie timber, were not positioned flush with the face of the building. That is why windows and doors on all properties built between then and 1950 ish, and on most houses still, are set back from the face of the building. They realised that if you reduce the surface spread of flame then fires do not escalate as quickly.
I would say more but I fear our libel laws. I will say that if it happened in China people would be executed for their part in this disaster. In the UK “lessons will be learned” will probably have to suffice!