Grenfell Inquiry day 38: firefighters issue apologies to families

In the wake of the fire it has emerged that four of the eight residents advised to remain in flat 113, on the 14th floor, died.

However, Mr Murphy said: “If I had taken anyone down, it would have led them to a very early death. It was not safe.”

The inquiry heard how Mr Murphy led Denis Murphy from his flat on the 14th floor along with two other residents, Mohammed and Omar al-Haj Ali, to flat 111, which at that time was free of smoke. Two other residents – Zainab Deen and her two-year-old son Jeremiah – were also found. Eventually all the 14th floor residents were moved into flat 113.

However, the firefighters left for the lower floors in the building as they were low on air.

Firefighter Peter Herrera was also involved in rescue efforts on the 14th floor and told of how he led four residents down the stairs.

However, it later emerged that there had been confusion over how many people were in flat 113.

He offered an apology, telling the inquiry: “What we did on that night wasn’t just us. It’s a team effort and I’m very, very, very sorry if I’ve let anyone down or not done what was expected of me.”

Later firefighter Nikki Upton was asked about the feasibility of a mass eviction at around 2.30am. But Ms Upton said the stairwell was unmanageable as there were obstructions such as hoses, and that the visibility on the fourth floor was non-existent.

Earlier in the day, firefighter Nicke Merrion of the team from Acton echoed this: “There was smoke on the stairs from the second floor all the way up to the 14th floor, so if we had tried to get people out from the 14th floor they wouldn’t have made it down.”

In his written evidence, Mr Merrion revealed how unusual he thought the fire was. “I had never seen a fire move like that before… it looked like the facade was helping the fire to move quickly up the building.”