UK prosecutors to decide charges over 2017 Grenfell fire

British prosecutors are expected to decide on criminal charges related to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire before the disaster's tenth anniversary next summer. The Metropolitan Police announced that evidence files concerning 57 individuals and 20 organizations will be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service by September 30, with charging decisions anticipated by June 14, 2027.

The fire, which began with an electrical fault in a refrigerator, engulfed the 23-story social housing block in West London in June 2017, claiming 72 lives. A subsequent public inquiry concluded the blaze was avoidable, citing decades of failure by governments and the building industry to address the dangers of flammable materials. The inquiry's final report, published in 2024, found the tower was covered in combustible cladding and insulation due to what the chairman called "systematic dishonesty" by firms involved, alongside "deliberate and sustained manipulation" of fire safety testing.

Police described the investigation, codenamed Operation Northleigh, as the largest and most complex in the force's history. Officers have examined the roles of 15,000 individuals and 700 organizations, gathering 165...