It’s been seven years, two months and three weeks to the day since Britain’s most deadly fire took hold of a 24-storey apartment block in west London.
And no matter the time that passes, the stories of final pleading phone calls and messages, footage of smoke-filled apartments, and recordings of families’ screams are still as chilling as they were on June 17, 2017.
But the stories of survival are also harrowing.
Today a damning report found that ‘decades of failures‘ led to the inferno, claiming the lives of 72 innocent men, women and children.
The victims’ names were read out after the long-awaited documents ruled serious deficiencies’ in building standards, ‘dishonest’ manufacturers and a local authority with an ‘indifference’ to fire safety led to their deaths.
MailOnline today looks back at some of the victims’ and survivors’ heroic and heartbreaking tales.
There was the up-and-coming artist who pleaded for her friends to ‘pray’ for her as her apartment filled with smoke, or the mother who filmed her final moments before she and her two children perished.
Some families tried to run, but never made it out, and one 12-year-old, who firefighters desperately tried to save, begged a 999 call handler ‘Please can you hurry up?’ before the phone went dead.
But there’s also tales of hope – as one girl, who was saved by crews who dragged her to safety down a pitch black stairwell, then went on to become a fine arts student – and paint a mural in the victims’ memory.
Composite photograph showing how fire swept through Grenfell Tower in west London in 2017
Khadija Saye, 24, was one of the tragic victims of the blaze
‘Please pray for me’
MP David Lammy today shared a video of victim Khadija Saye, who he called a visionary artist and a wonderful friend.
Khadija, 24, lived the 20th floor with her mother Mary Mendy.
She had messaged pals as their apartment filled with smoke, saying she wasn’t sure how they’d escape.
At the time of the blaze Khadija’s work was still being displayed in the prestigious Venice Biennale – an international exhibition in Italy.
In the wake of the blaze Mr Lammy’s wife Nicola Green said of the 24-year-old: ‘She was on Facebook saying she was unable to get out of the flat, that the smoke was so thick.
‘She was saying, “Please pray for me. There’s a fire. I can’t leave the flat. Please pray for me and my mum.”
‘At one point she’d tried to leave again and it was impossible. She said she felt like she was going to faint.’
The lengthy document into the fire was today released
Twelve-year-old Jessica Ramirez died while on the phone to a 999 operator
A praise of bravery before a dead phone line
On the same floor was 12-year-old schoolgirl Jessica Ramirez.
At around 1.26am her sister Melanie Ramirez, 20, told a firefighter her younger sibling was alone in a flat on the 20th floor.
A hunt was launched for the schoolgirl but when crews headed into the youngster’s flat, they couldn’t see her through the thick smoke.
And, as the door was ajar, they hoped Jessica had made her way down to safety.
They didn’t know she was swept up by people heading for the 23rd floor and was hiding in a flat with about ten others.
Jessica had called 999 and was on the phone to control room officer Sarah Russell.
The 12-year-old said ‘Please can you hurry up?’ who reassures her, ‘We’ve got 20 fire engines there with you. They’re fighting the fire.’
Smoke was said to start coming under the door as the control room officer tries to keep the schoolgirl’s spirits up.
Sarah said: ‘You’re doing really well, Jessica. You’re being really brave.’
But Jessica’s breathing was said to be worsening as she told the officer the window was ablaze.
After almost an hour on the phone, Sarah Russell could only hear Jessica’s breathing.
She said: ‘Jessica, can you tell me what’s going on? Jessica? Hello?’
After a few minutes of silence, the line went dead.
Later the body of Jessica and 23 others are found on the 23rd floor.
Fethia Hassan, four, Hania Hassan, three, had been with their mum Rania Ibrahim when she filmed her final moments
Final footage: ‘Forgive me everyone, goodbye’
Rania Ibrahim and her two children Fethia Hassan, four, and three-year-old Hania Hassan were on the same level.
The trio, who had lived on the upper floor but travelled down one, all perished in the blaze.
But the 30-year-old mother had filmed her final moments – broadcasting the distressing clip to her pals.
Rania could be heard screaming for help as she tried to find a way out of the burning building.
In the video the Sudan-born mother screams ‘Hello, hello, come here’ as she ignores the advice of a friend and family members to keep her door closed.
A pal told MailOnline at the time: ‘In the video we just heard her saying “oh my god”, but she carried on filming despite the fire. We have not heard from her since the video ended.’
Rania also sent a heartbreaking Snapchat message to another friend at 2.45am in which she said in Arabic, ‘forgive me everyone, goodbye’.
Nadia Choucair, 33, had welcomed neighbours into her flat with a smile
Relative Sirria Choucair (pictured) died alongside Nadia and her family
Daughters Fatima, Mierna and Zainab also died with their family
Family of six tried to escape, but never did
On the floor below was Nadia Choucair, 33, her husband Bassem Choukair, 40, their three children Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zainab, three, and their grandmother Sirria Choucair, 60.
Survivors told of how a smiling Nadia had invited them inside her flat, 193, as it was mostly free of smoke.
The Choucairs had put towels under the doors, but clouds had started to form.
Nadia had started to suggest the families make a run for it, to which another person said: ‘999 told us to stay.’
But the Choucairs has been determined to leave, so they wrapped wet towels around their heads and the heads of their three daughters.
They rushed out the front door into thick smoke – and died in the hours that followed.
Tony Disson, 68, spent his final moments on the phone to his wife Cordelia
‘This is it, this is it for me…’
Trapped nearby on the 22nd floor was 67-year-old former boxing trainer Tony Disson.
The emergency operator told him to stay put, but in a panic he phones his wife Cordelia, who is on the other side of London, saying: ‘I am going to jump out of the window.’
She replied: ‘You are not doing that to my boys. Just get out, Tony!’
Cordelia recalled that Tony heard a knock at the door, and assumed it was fire crews – but was actually a man with a crying baby, begging for help.
The wife recalled how Tony started to tell her that the black smoke had turned white, and she assumed he was dying.
Tony begs her, ‘Please don’t let me die’ and Cordelia screams back, ‘You are not going to die! Get out of the flat.’
And then, in his final words to his wife, Tony says: ‘Cord, this is it, this is it for me…’
But, there too are harrowing tales of survival.
‘Justice for Greenfell’
Gina Smith, now 20, had been best friends with Jessica – who died on the phone to a 999 call handler.
She had been dragged to safety in pitch black stairwell, along with her mother Gina and father Roy.
At 2.39am, she became the 181st survivor of 228 who made it out of Grenfell Tower alive.
One fortnight later she was back at Kensington Aldridge Academy, and continued striving when it came to her studies.
Gina started studying fine art student at Bath University – with the memory the rooms of the Grenfell flat inspiring much of her work.
She’s played her part in a ‘Justice for Grenfell’ memorial wall, as she fights for change.
The 20-year-old told The Times: ‘This is all I know, a fight for justice. Seven years of my life has been consumed by sadness and grief.
‘This is not normal.’
Ines Alves, now 23, became known as the ‘Grenfell girl’ – which she’s spent her life working to shake
Looking back on ‘biggest trauma’
As a 16-year-old fleeing the Grenfell inferno, Ines Alves rushed off with her revision notes in hand – before sitting her chemistry GCSE the following morning.
The now 23-year-old said that still haunts her to this day, as she became dubbed ‘Grenfell girl’.
The-then teen became an inspiration, for still putting school first when her home was a charred ruin.
But she says the aftermath sent her spiralling.
Ines told SkyNews this week: ‘My biggest trauma was watching the building burning and people screaming, as I was revising for my GCSEs.
‘So just revising and concentrating generally just kind of led me to dark places after that.
‘When June came around it just kind of all came rushing back. And I had probably the biggest mental breakdown. It was just a horrible time.’
But Ines is now focusing on living her life as best she can – after already lading a degree in maths and travelling the world.
The 23-year-old said: ‘I kind of don’t really like to live life by knowing what I’m going to do in a month’s time.’
The Grenfell Tower blaze claimed 72 victims
MailOnline remembers all the 72 innocent people who were killed when the the fire took hold of the West London block on June 14, 2017.
The youngest victim was an unborn baby, Logan Gomes.
The father of stillborn Logan, who died inside his mother as they fled the 21st floor, broke down as he recalled the events of June 14, 2017.
Marcio Gomes told the inquiry in 2018: ‘He might not be here physically but he will always be here in our hearts, and will be forever.’
Denis Murphy had been on the 14th floor.
The 56-year-old’s sister said: ‘Once you had met Denis, you would never forget his warmth, wit, cheeky smile and love of life.’
On the 23rd floor, Mohammed Amied Neda was killed.
The 57-year-old’s son said: ‘My dad loved life and loved meeting people. He would get along with almost everyone. He was a man of deep integrity and fairness.’
Joseph Daniels died on floor 16.
Denis Murphy’s sister said: ‘Once you had met Denis, you would never forget his warmth, wit, cheeky smile and love of life’
Mary Mendy was remembered as ‘warm and kind’ and welcomed ‘everyone into her home’
His son Samuel said of the 69-year-old: ‘The events of that night took his life and all traces of his existence from this world. He stood no chance of getting out and this should never have happened.’
On floor 20, Mary Mendy tragically died.
The 54-year-old’s niece said: ‘She was warm and kind, she welcomed everyone into her home. Grenfell Tower was a place all her family and friends could find shelter if they ever needed it.’
Khadija Saye was also on floor 20.
The 24-year-old’s father said: ‘She was very gentle, very kind and friendly. Her burning passion was photography, encouraged by her mother, Mary Mendy.’
On floor 19, Debbie Lamprell was killed.
The 45-year-old’s mother Miriam said: ‘You rarely saw my Debbie without a smile. People took to Debbie because she was a friendly, easy person.’
Maria del Pilar Burton was also on floor 19 when the blaze broke out.
Nicholas Burton, husband of the 74-year-old, known as Pily, said: ‘She was a unique, beautiful, exceptional person until this tragedy had taken it away.’
Pily is considered the 72nd victim of the fire, despite dying in January 2018, after experiencing a stroke.
Mother Rania Ibrahim and her two children Fethia Hassan, four, and three-year-old Hania Hassan had been on floor 23.
The 31-year-old’s husband, Hassan Awadh Hassan, said: ‘I’m not just standing here crying because my wife is gone. My wife and my kids are very lucky. Because the way it’s going, I wish if I go like them. I wait for my day.’
Six members of the Choucair family perished on floor 22.
Nadia Choucair, 33, her husband Bassem Choukair, 40, their three children Mierna, 13, Fatima, 11, and Zainab, three, died along with their grandmother Sirria Choucair, 60.
Hisam Choucair, the son of Sirria, said: ‘She sacrificed everything for us so we could prosper and be a proper part of the country she’d adopted as her home.’
Of his sister Nadia, he said: ‘We all loved Nadia. She was beautiful, but she was also wise.’
Of his brother-in-law Bassem Choukair, he said: ‘He was an excellent father: kind, loving, considerate, always wanted the best for his children.’
Jeremiah Deen, two, died alongside his mum on floor 14
Of Mierna, he said: ‘She loved school. Loved learning. She wanted to be either a doctor or a lawyer. The last time I talked with her about it, she couldn’t decide.’
Of Fatima, her aunt Sawsam said: ‘Fatima was a great gymnast. She had the body for it and wanted to become a professional gymnast when she grew up.’
Of Zainab, she said: ‘We all loved Zainab. When I would come back from work Zainab was so happy to see me.’
Hesham Rahman died on floor 23.
Mr Rahman’s nephew Karim Mussilhy said: ‘My uncle used to express himself through poetry on social media and he wrote some beautiful poems.’
Reading from one, he quoted: ‘Remember my presence before my departure. To see a smile on your face when I’m gone, a prayer from your heart.’
On the 22nd floor, Anthony Disson died.
The 65-year-old’s son Lee said: ‘He was a very special person and I would like him to be remembered for who he was when he was alive. He was always there to help anyone, no matter who you were or where you came from.’
Zainab Deen and son Jeremiah Deen had been on floor 14.
The family of Zainab Deen, 32, said: ‘Zainab had it all; she was beautiful, smart, warm, caring and a confident and outgoing young woman.’
Of her two-year-old son Jeremiah, they said: ‘He was loving, full of life, liked playing football and loved exploring and adventuring.’
Ali Yawar Jafari, 82, died in the blaze. His son paid tribute to him in the wake of the tragedy
Gary Maunders was described as the ‘life and soul of everything’ his family did
Majorie Vital, 68, died in the blaze alongside her son
Majorie and son Ernie Vital (pictured) became moulded together in the fire, a surviving son said
On the 11th floor, Ali Yawar Jafari was killed.
The 82-year-old’s son Hamid Ali Jafari said in a video tribute: ‘I think the happiest moment he had was when my son was born, because he was attached to him a lot.’
Gary Maunders had been on floor 19 when the blaze erupted.
Ana Pumar, the mother of the 57-year-old’s two youngest children, said: ‘Gary was always the life and soul of everything we did and anywhere he went. Gary had a lively personality and a great sense of humour which was enjoyed by any company he found himself in.’
On floor 19, Majorie Vital and Ernie Vital died.
The mother, 68, and son, 50, became moulded together in the fire, a surviving son of Marjorie said.
He said: ‘It reminded me, as a child growing up he was constantly in my mother’s arms, and when they were fused together it symbolised to me their level of closeness that they had, that umbilical cord, that my brother still relatively had intact.’
Mother and daughter Victoria King and Alexandra Atala had been on the 20th floor when the blaze broke out.
The family of Ms King, 71, and her 40-year-old daughter said: ‘They were, and are, still together and that is what is important. The fire is a tragedy for all of us.’
Tuccu-Ahmedin family had been on floor 19.
Mohamednur Tuccu, 44, his wife Amal Ahmedin, 35, and their three-year-old daughter Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, all died. Amna Mahmud Idris, 27, was visiting her cousin Ms Ahmedin at the time of the fire and also died.
Amaya Tuccu-Ahmedin, three, died alongside four other family members
Amaya’s mother Amal Ahmedin (pictured) was killed in the blaze
The tot’s father Mohamednur Tuccu (pictured) also perished
Amal’s family said: ‘Amal was the most caring and loving person you could ever meet. Her capacity to love was unmatchable.’
Of Amaya, three, they said: ‘She was so smart and a bit cheeky, and we all realised pretty early on that she was definitely her mother’s daughter.’
Mohamednur Tuccu’s sister-in-law Winta said: ‘Mohamednur was such an amazing person. He would treat me like I was his little sister. He would buy us gifts every time he’d come round and talk to us as if we were his friends.’
Ibrahim Abdulkerim said of his wife, 27-year-old wife Amna Mahmud Idris: ‘She was support to me at all times. Not only me, but everyone who know her. She was the light of her family.’
The Miah-Begum family on floor 17 also perished.
Kamru Miah, 79, Rabeya Begum, 64, Mohammed Hamid, 28, Mohammed Hanif, 26 and Husna Begum, 22.
Mohammed Hakim said of Mr Miah: ‘My father was a humble, loving, caring, honest, kind and loyal man.’
Of his mother Ms Begum, he said: ‘She was a fierce mother, protecting her children from all harm, giving individual attention and care to each of us. She was deeply loved and adored by all her family and anyone that knew her.’
Of his brother Mr Hamid, he said: ‘Hamid was the most incredible, fascinating person you could ever wish to meet. His fun-loving personality always shone through, even when he wasn’t feeling his best.’
Kamru Miah was remembered as a ‘humble, loving, caring, honest, kind and loyal man’
Husna Begum (pictured), the daughter of Kamru, died alongside her grandfather and three other loved ones
Ligaya Moor tragically died on the 21st floor
Of his brother Mr Hanif, he said: ‘Whoever crossed paths with Hanif was immediately captured by his bright, warming smile. His gentle and kind approach was so unique and made everyone around him feel comfortable and at ease.’
Of his sister Ms Begum, he said: ‘Husna was the epitome of adventure and spirit. She marvelled at the universe and had a burning desire to travel and experience as much of the world as possible.’
On floor 12, Fathia Ahmed Elsanousi, Abufras Ibrahim and Isra Ibrahim died.
Their family said 73-year-old Fathia ‘was a pillar of the Sudanese community in London. She was highly respected. She was a source of wiseness and jolliness to the community’.
Said Essaouini, the husband of her 33-year-old daughter Isra Ibrahim, said: ‘I will never find no-one like her, never ever, ever a woman like Isra again, and I am ripped up to pieces, only God knows how much I’m ripped up.’
The brother of Mr Ibrahim, who he called Fras, said he was a very brave man who loved cooking.
Ligaya Moore died on floor 21.
The 78-year-old’s friend said: ‘She was so proud to live in Grenfell. She would always say every time we walked past: ‘Nenita, that’s my building, 21st floor. It’s a big building and I love it so much, even though I’m alone there, I love seeing it every day’.’
On the 17th floor, Vincent Chiejina perished,
The sister of Vincent Chiejina, 60, said: ‘I think he was also quite good at looking after people who were quite vulnerable like himself, so he would never reject anybody just because they were less privileged than himself.’
The El-Wahabi family perished on floor 21.
Father Abdulaziz, 52, wife Faouzia, 41, and children Yasin, 20, Nur Huda, 16, and Mehdi, eight, all died.
Khadija Khalloufi, 52, also died in the blaze and was described as an ‘angel’
Zainab Deen, 22, (pictured) died alongside her toddler
Sheila, as she was known, was remembered as a ‘truly beautiful person’
Mr Abdulaziz’s family said: ‘He was a kind, loyal family man. He had an infectious and caring personality.’
Of Mrs El-Wahabi, her family said: ‘Faouzia was a lively, friendly woman who loved her role of being a mother and a wife.’
Of Yasin, a relative said: ‘He was a sociable and popular person. He would always help neighbours with their bags and open doors.’
A cousin said: ‘Nur Huda was admirable and her bright smile left a deep print on everyone’s hearts.’
Mehdi’s teacher said: ‘One of his strongest qualities was his ability to make us laugh and smile, we knew we could rely upon him to lighten our mood and brighten our day.’
Khadija Khalloufi died on floor 17.
The 52-year-old’s husband, Sabah Abdullah: ‘I am not trying to make my wife an angel or something, but to them (her children) she was more than an angel.’
On floor 20, Jessica Urbano Ramirez was killed.
The 12-year-old’s sister said: ‘The tragedy took Jess away from us two weeks before her 13th birthday, two weeks before we could see her all dressed up, just like she always did her entire life, enjoying any opportunity she had to look her best.’
The Kedir family died on floor 22.
Hashim Kedir, 44, died with his wife Nura Jemal, 35, daughter Firdaws Hashim, 12, and sons Yahya Hashim, 13, and Yaqub Hashim, six.
Relatives of Hashim said: ‘You were intelligent, smart, hardworking, hilarious and caring. You were always there for everyone and anyone who needed help.’
Mohammad Alhajali, 23, was another victim of the blaze
Mohammad Hanif was also killed
Sakina Afrasehabi was also remembered by her loved ones
Of Firdaws, a family member said: ‘She turned out to be a beautiful, intelligent and eloquent girl with a beautiful voice.’
‘Nura was a positive-minded, devout and courageous mother and wife’, a relative said.
Of Yahya, a relative said: ‘Yahya was a very grateful boy. He always wanted to make sure that everyone around him was OK. He loved laughing so much. He would do anything to make everyone laugh.’
‘I was always very fascinated by little Yaqub, by his energy, his physical fitness and his sharp mind,’ a family member said.
Steve Power died on floor 15.
The children of Steve Power, 63, said: ‘Our dad was nothing short of a character. He left some sort of impression on everyone, like Marmite. The majority loved him.’
On floor 22, Eslah and Mariem Elgwahry were killed.
Mariem’s brother said: ‘My sister was confident and strong. She wasn’t afraid to speak up or speak her mind, and was very secure in her words. She had an inner confidence and had grown into a strong and ambitious woman.’
Of his mother, he said: ‘My mum touched many hearts and was a strong woman who raised Mariem and I on her own since my father passed.’
Hamid Mohammed was killed in the fire
Twenty-nine-year-old Berkti Haftom also perished in the inferno
Berkti Haftom and Biruk Haftom died on floor 18.
The sisters of pregnant Berkti Haftom, 29, said: ‘Our sister Berkti was a brilliant mum. She gave so much love to her sons.’
Her 12-year-old son Biruk’s family said: ‘Biruk entered this world greeted by love, the love of his mother’s face, and we are sure he left this world looking at the love of that same beautiful face. These thoughts sustain us in our darkest hours.’
On floor 23, Gloria Trevisan died.
The 26-year-old’s mother said: ‘Gloria was a girl full of life. She really loved life and, although she missed the sun, she missed the food and she missed Italy generally, she was very happy for the work and the job that she had found here, so she was happily settled here.’
Marco Gottardi was killed on floor 23.
The 27-year-old lived on the block’s top floor with his partner, Gloria Trevisan.
His father Giannino Gottardi, told Il Mattino newspaper his son called at 3.45am, then again just after 4am.
Mr Gottardi said: ‘In the second call, and I can’t get this out of my head, he said there was smoke, that so much smoke was rising.’
In the first report he was listed as having been a ‘sound, grounded person’ and someone who was ‘very calm and sensible’.
Sakina Afrasehabi perished on floor 18.
The 65-year-old’s daughter said: ‘My mother was well liked. She loved the children on her floor and always gave them sweets. She was everyone’s grandma.’
Isaac Paulos, five, was one of the youngest victims killed in the blaze
Biruk Haftom was also killed
Victoria King (pictured) and daughter Alexandra Atala had been on the 20th floor when the blazed broke out
Also on floor 18, Hamid Kani died.
A relative of the 61-year-old said: ‘Hamid lived to love and loved to live. He would have been especially proud that out of the tragedy of Grenfell Tower there has been an outpouring of love, togetherness, and support across the nationalities, religions, regardless of differences, class or culture.’
Isaac Paulos had also been on floor 18.
The five-year-old’s father said: ‘My son was beautiful, a little boy with so much potential. I will never forget Isaac’s big, beautiful eyes, his calm look.’
Mohammad al-Haj Ali had been on floor 14.
The 23-year-old’s friend said: ‘I could see that he was special. One of a kind. He was a very compassionate person who cared about people. He was a perfectionist; everything that he did, he excelled.’
Raymond ‘Moses’ Bernard died on floor 23.
The 63-year-old’s sister said: ‘My beloved Ray was my modern day Moses, my hero. Ray always had a smile on his face. He knew how to love without expecting anything in return.’
Visiting her sister on the 18th floor had been Fatemeh Afrasiabi.
A daughter of the 59-year-old said: ‘She loved her children, she would do everything for us.’
The Belkadi family tragically died on floor 20.
Farah Hamdan, 31, her husband Omar Belkadi, 32, and children Malak Belkadi, eight, and six-month-old Leena Belkadi, all died.
Mrs Hamdan’s father said of his daughter and her husband Omar: ‘They were the best people. They really loved each other. You can see them in the photos, you can see how they were. It’s very obvious that they loved each other.’
Of their children, he said: ‘God bless their souls. They used to call me ‘Jiddi’, which means grandpa. That was my name.’
Abdeslam Sebbar had been on floor 11.
The 77-year-old was recovered from the floor where he lived. His family did not pay tribute to him publicly during commemorations at the inquiry in 2018.
Sheila, as she was known, had lived on floor 16.
The 84-year-old lived on the 16th floor. A friend, Gary Allen, said he had known her for 20 years, and described her as a ‘truly beautiful person’ and ‘love, pure and simple’. While formally known as Sheila Smith, her family have requested that she is referred to simply as Sheila.
