‘Losing them was losing part of myself’: Survivors remember Grenfell fire five years on

Survivors and community members say justice is not coming fast enough

The bereaved say justice is not coming fast enough five years on from the fire (Thomas Kingsley)

Mourners were united today in grief and frustration as they marked the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

A memorial service was held in remembrance of the 72 people who lost their lives in the 2017 tragedy, which brought the UK’s serious fire-safety issues to the fore.

Speaking at Westminster Abbey to community members, the bereaved, and survivors of the fire, The Independent heard of the ongoing fight for justice faced by west London locals.

Ilyaas Sedraci was only 14 years old when he escaped the inferno, but five years on he says “every day is a struggle” since that traumatising night.

“The only thing that gets to me is when I’m reminded of who died – that’s what gets to me,” Ilyaas told The Independent.

Ilyaas says ‘every day is a struggle’ since the fire (Thomas Kingsley)

“My life is based around the tower; that’s where I grew up. I lost my people in the fire – not family, but people who were close to me. I didn’t grow up with my dad, I got raised by certain men that lived in that building, so losing them was like losing part of myself.”

Despite the continuing inquiry into the fire, Ilyaas said nothing can ever be done to replace the lives of those who died.

“I feel like there will never be justice. 72 people died. I don’t know how you’re going to be able to justify that, no matter what you do. It doesn’t matter if you reimburse everyone who survived, it doesn’t matter if you bring the building back to how it was before, it doesn’t matter: the 72 people are now dead.

“I just want to move on with my life. It may be impossible but I’ll give it a go.”

For some of the bereaved, the search for justice following the fire has brought them across continents.

Menana El-Wahabi was in Morocco when she watched the tower in which her daughter and three grandchildren lived go up in flames. She has since moved from the north African nation in pursuit of justice.

Menana El-Wahabi (right) was in Morocco when her daughter, her son-in-law and their three children were killed in the fire (Thomas Kingsley)

“When it comes up to every single memorial, it’s really difficult, because there are so many programmes about it in the news. Every time we see the TV we’re in tears. It feels like yesterday, although it was five years ago,” Menana’s niece Fahra Jniah told The Independent.

She added: “There still is no justice; people are still waiting around. It’s so hard that five years on we’re still fighting.

“We had to listen to 999 tapes of our family yelling at the fire brigade, who told them to stay put, ‘We would have got out in time. You killed us.’

The five members of the El-Wabib family were killed in the Grenfell fire (Thomas Kingsley)

“We want people to pay for what they’ve done.”

Farah said the memorial, which was attended by London mayor Sadiq Khan and Kensington MP Felicity Buchan, was a beautiful tribute to the people killed in the fire. During the service, the names of the 72 men, women and children who died were read out by multi-faith leaders, with the congregation responding in unison: “Forever in our hearts” after each name was read. This is the phrase emblazoned across the top of the covered-up tower in north Kensington.

People place white roses in memory of the victims at the Grenfell fire memorial service at Westminster Abbey (PA)

Fahra and her family condemned the companies being investigated as part of the inquiry, which are still operating while families grieve and await justice.

“Why are these people not being punished? Why are they able to go home every day, and eat dinner with their families every day, while we’re crying because we don’t have family any more? A whole family of five completely wiped out, and there are 72 families that have all disappeared because people were too lazy to do their jobs and tried to take shortcuts,” Fahra said.

Krysse Bonnett, who lives on the Lancaster West estate where Grenfell Tower is situated, said the government is not moving fast enough to bring justice to the bereaved and survivors.

“We feel like it’s being dragged out. We want justice for the people that passed away in the tower,” she said.

The lifetime resident of the estate added: “I don’t want to say I’m not hopeful, but ... sometimes you think negatively because, you know, we’re minorities.

“Things are not moving fast enough.”

Krysse Bonnett has lived at the foot of the tower all her life (Thomas Kingsley)

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer posted on Twitter: “Five years on from the Grenfell tower fire we remember the 72 people killed. The Grenfell community are courageous in their pursuit of justice and change.

“We stand with them. To honour the memories of those lost we must prevent such a tragedy happening again.”

A spokesperson for campaign group Justice4Grenfell said: “Today we stand with the Grenfell bereaved, survivors and community. Forever in our hearts.

“The Grenfell Tower fire has become a symbol of the social inequality and injustice that exists in our country. Seventy-two people lost their lives; many people lost their homes, possessions, families and loved ones.

“The first duty of any government is to protect the lives of its citizens. From the right to life, and including the duty to provide adequate housing, these duties are enshrined in law, and are where the government has and continues to fail.”