A SCATHING report into the Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people in London has brought back haunting memories of the tower block blaze which led to one Ayrshire pensioner's death back in 1999.
Fire tore through the now-demolished 14-storey high flats at Garnock Court, Irvine, on June 11 that year, leaving disabled William Linton, 73, dead.
News reports at the time said the block "ignited like matchwood".
The corner flats had been surrounded by plastic "class 0" cladding that didn't meet the required standards.
And the similarities between the Ayrshire tragedy and the Grenfell disaster in 2017 have been highlighted today.
The Grenfell inquiry found that the devastating fire was the result of "dishonest" companies, successive governments, and a lack of strategy by the fire service.
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The inquiry's report, published on Wednesday, says a cladding product manufacturer “deliberately concealed” fire risks, while coalition and Conservative governments “ignored, delayed or disregarded” concerns.
All the Grenfell deaths were avoidable, the inquiry chair ruled.
After the 1999 Irvine blaze, local Labour MP Brian Donohoe called for all combustible cladding to be banned and removed.
But the ruling Labour government at the time said it would be too expensive, costing millions.
In the wake of the Garnock Court tragedy, a Parliamentary committee called for all cladding on high rise buildings to be entirely non combustible, or put through fire tests to prove it wasn't a risk.
Such tests were introduced, but class 0 remained in the guidance.
Many believe the lack of proper action after the Irvine tragedy directly led to the appalling Grenfell blaze.
And it was the London fire which led to the end of Irvine's high flats, including Garnock Court.
In the wake of the 2017 disaster, tenants of the five blocks voted for them to be demolished.
Garnock Court was the first to be pulled down, in April last year.
Discussing the London tragedy the following year, Mr Donohoe said: “I think somebody should go to jail for it, I honestly do.
“There should be a person charged with manslaughter. Someone has to be charged - the person that awarded the contract, and then who got the contract and then all the sub-contractors.
"If you consider there’s something like a £6,000 difference for the whole cladding if it had been made non-flammable, that’s just outrageous."
Read more here.
He added: "At the very least North Ayrshire took the decision – with a bit of pressure, it has to be said – to remove that cladding and replace it.
"They took out all the plastic windows. They put in a concierge, CCTV and 24/7 monitoring, so they did what was required of them.”
Today, England's Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it was not likely to decide whether to charge anyone over the Grenfell tragedy until the end of 2026.
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