May 17, 2018 - 2:09 AM
LONDON - The engineer examining building codes after the Grenfell tower fire that killed 71 people last year in London is calling for a wholesale change in fire safety regulations.
Judith Hackitt says a new regulatory framework is needed to strengthen the system, though she stopped short of calling for a ban on flammable cladding that is believed to have contributed to the blaze. Her report will be released Thursday.
She says in an interview with the BBC, "this is a broken system that needs to be fixed."
The disaster raised questions about the rich-poor divide in Britain, in part because it took place at a publicly owned tower block in one of London's richest areas. Many residents accused authorities of ignoring safety concerns raised months before the fire.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018