Das Grenfell-Feuer - Was wirklich geschah

As an American...especially in these unimaginable trump presidency days... this documentary is the flashing neon sign reminding me (and hopefully many others) that the desire to be less regulated by government is like crossing your fingers.

When are more people going to understand that the people driving the "less regulation" train is big business?

Why does it take tragedy after tragedy in places all around the world to remind people that big businesses and government will almost always choose profit & lower cost OVER people's lives?

An oil spill, this fire, a train derailed-and everyone seems to remember why regulations are needed. But the loopholes for govt & big businesses are found & within a few days - some people resort back to screaming for "less regulation".

This documentary is a reminder that when money drives your travel, shelter, food, health, etc - regulations & enforcement of them, shouldn't only become important when a disaster like this touches your life.

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

In June 2017, an emergency call was made to the London fire brigade, regarding an apparently minor fire in a flat, which escalated into a towering blaze. With conflicting advice emerging from the fire service, the residents of Grenfell Tower remained in their homes, but even with the best efforts of the firefighters, seventy-two people ended up losing their lives. Afterwards, survivors and activists rallied together to demand justice and affect change.

In a year littered with devastating incidents (usually of the terrorism variety), the Grenfell Tower fire sticks in the mind on its own terms, both for the shock value of the event, and the social unrest and change it provoked in the aftermath. Nearly a decade on (unbelievable), Netflix delivers this neat little documentary, giving a human voice to those directly affected, from survivors to fire crew who attended the scene.

Unsurprisingly (if you drop your biases and think about things) none of the interviewees meet your stereotypes or perceptions of how they might be. We hear from a young woman who was sitting her exams at the time and had predicted good grades, as well as a well spoken man who wouldn't have wanted to have lived anywhere else. Whether these stereotypes existed or not, it's unsettlingly clear that the company in charge of the cladding didn't seem to think much of them, having been warned of the dangers and unsuitability of the material long in advance of the devastating incident.

Ultimately, the most unsettling aspect of the whole thing is that there are any number of high rises that still to this day have the same unsafe cladding, and that it's basically just a matter of time before something similar happens. The lives of the poor really have as little value in a 'first world' country as anywhere else, it seems. ****

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (10/10)

I wasn't in the UK when the Grenfell Tower tragedy happened, and I hadn't followed the news much at the time, but watching this documentary has been absolutely heart-wrenching.

It's a powerful, raw, and respectful account of the people affected, the lives lost, the survivors' trauma, and the sheer scale of injustice. The way it's structured gives space for voices that need to be heard, and it doesn't let you look away from the deep failures that led to such unimaginable loss.

The documentary doesn't sensationalise, it humanises. You feel the grief, the anger, the disbelief. It's devastating, but important. I cried. I got angry. And I was left thinking about how preventable it all was.

10 stars. Everyone should watch this.

This documentary does an excellent job of exposing the deep flaws, corruption, and shocking cover-ups that led to the Grenfell tragedy. But what made me genuinely angry was the so-called "stay put" protocol.

In a high-rise building - where heat and smoke rise (basic physics!) - the idea of telling residents to remain in their flats while the building burns is beyond reckless. It's a policy built on paper logic, not lived experience. It may look good on a spreadsheet, under perfect assumptions: perfect construction, flawless fire barriers, ideal conditions. But real fires don't behave like that. Smoke and flames spread fast, unpredictably. And the longer residents are told to stay inside, the greater the risk that escape routes will fill with smoke, stairwells will become impassable, and safe evacuation will no longer be an option.

I'm writing this from a place where Fire & Rescue Services strongly encourage early self-evacuation - if you can get out safely, go. Don't wait for firefighters. We are taught that smoke kills faster than flames, and that moving early can make the difference between life and death. Public awareness here is clear: the higher you are in the building, the greater the danger. Every second counts.

One thing I felt was missing in the documentary: some parts felt incomplete. For example, it was never clearly explained how the fire was eventually brought under control and put out. The timeline just skipped to a week after the fire. Also, a simple schematic illustrating the building's interior layout, stairwells, and the fire's progression would have greatly helped viewers visually understand the situation better.

It's important to acknowledge the firefighters who risked everything and now must live with the trauma of that night. They did what they could under impossible conditions, but it's clear they were constrained by confusing protocols and insufficient information.

Grenfell: Uncovered reinforced how deadly it can be when flawed policies are blindly followed long past the point where common sense and basic survival instinct should take over.

I sincerely hope that every person involved in causing this disaster faces full accountability.

I have so many words I'd want to say but will narrow it down - it's a fantastic documentary well made and very much for the victims and against those who are at fault and not afford to name them. Crazy that Eric Pickles is now in the House of Lords making decisions. We the public did not elect him. He should be one of those held responsible for this horrible tragedy and should be in prison, not in the House of Lords !

This documentary sheds light on the injustices and the lack of accountability that still persist. It is a powerful reminder that those in power must be held to account, and that justice for the victims should never be forgotten. I highly recommend watching it to understand the full extent of the tragedy and the ongoing fight for truth and justice.