London Fire Brigade Named in Met's Investigation File on Grenfell - BBC News
BBC Homepage
Skip to content
Accessibility Help
Your account
Home
News
...
LFB Named in Met's Evidence File on Grenfell Fire
Image source: PA Media
Image caption: A file has been passed to the CPS which will consider whether any charges will be brought
By Aurelia Foster
Published 2 October 2026, 15:50 BST
Updated 51 minutes ago
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has confirmed it is among those facing possible criminal action over the Grenfell Tower fire.
Prosecutors were handed an evidence file on 20 organisations and firms and 54 individuals from the Metropolitan Police earlier this week. The force is seeking charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences and fraud-related offences relating to the deaths of 72 people in the disaster.
London fire commissioner Jonathan Smith said he welcomed the progress in the investigation.
The Met's investigation - Operation Northleigh - began soon after the fire in June 2017 and has involved hundreds of investigating officers.
The CPS said any charging decisions would be made before the 10th anniversary of the disaster in 2027.
In a statement, the LFB said:
"The London fire commissioner has been notified by the Metropolitan Police Service that, following its investigation into the events surrounding the Grenfell Tower fire, a file has been submitted to the CPS for its consideration in respect of London Fire Brigade... The London fire commissioner welcomes the progress in the investigation process and reaffirms his commitment to providing the CPS with full cooperation..."
Smith added:
"We remember the 72 people who lost their lives... LFB accepted the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and has now implemented all the recommendations... We continue working with our partners... to ensure the lessons of the Grenfell tragedy are learnt."
Most of the organisations facing potential prosecution have not been named. Those revealed so far include the local authority Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), which could be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter, health and safety breaches, and acting contrary to fire safety regulations.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, responsible for building safety, is also among those referred to the CPS.
The fire started in the kitchen of a fourth-floor flat and then spread rapidly on the outside of the building via combustible cladding.
A public inquiry found the fire was avoidable and condemned a chain of failures across government and the private sector.
In a report, chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick criticised LFB's "serious shortcomings" and systemic failures in its response to the fire.
Grenfell United, a bereaved families and survivors group, has previously criticised the time frame for prosecutions.
"It has taken more than nine years to get here... Nine years, and no-one has been held criminally accountable."