Ex-London Fire Brigade commissioner Lord Roe of West Wickham was confronted with ‘absolute failure of the building’ as he backs Grenfell memorial
The former head of the London Fire Brigade has paid tribute to the bravery of firefighters and families at the Grenfell Tower fire nearly a decade ago, as he backed the proposed memorial on the site.
Labour peer Lord Roe of West Wickham, who was the incident commander at Grenfell Tower fire, praised the courage he had seen during the disaster in June 2017 and since. After arriving at the blaze he ended the “stay put” order for residents.
In a powerful speech, Lord Roe said: “Since that night, I have thought long and hard about what my place was in that tragedy, and what might motivate me to keep going, to, I would hope, drive better change in those spaces, and I might have good effect.
“What has motivated me was both the profundity of what I saw that night, but also the courage that is embodied in individuals, both rank-and-file firefighters particularly, and those who lost their families.”
He was speaking during a debate in the House of Lords to approve spending on a permanent memorial for Grenfell victims in north Kensington, London.
The Bill is expected to clear the upper chamber on Tuesday on its path to becoming law. Survivors, bereaved families and members of the local community are leading on design.
He talked peers through the scene when he arrived in west London. He said: “I was confronted by the absolute failure of the building, almost immediately. It was so graphic and profound, it was unbelievable it had happened in this country.”
Lord Roe, who later went on to serve as Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade after the fire from 2020 to 2025, said he had briefed 200 firefighters that there was no water, and poor radio coverage.
He said he told the firefighters: “‘I’m going to ask you to commit into the building. I can’t order you, you have families, you have places you might want to go home to, but I believe it is in the best traditions of our service.
“‘And at the end of the day we’ve got breathing apparatus, we’ve got protective kit, it’s what we have to do, it’s in the best traditions of our service to the community.’
“Not a single one of them stepped back. They were terrified, but not a single one of them stepped back, and it was the same throughout the night.”
Lord Roe said the examples of two men illustrated the “granular horror” of the night. While waiting to enter the tower, he saw a Grenfell resident jump from the tower directly onto a firefighter in front of him waiting to go in. He presumed both had died.
However Lord Roe later saw the firefighter preparing to enter into the tower. He said: “He was sitting on the ground, gathering his breathing apparatus set, having discharged himself from the back of an ambulance, pulled his drip out, gathered a breathing apparatus set, and committed himself into the building.”
Lord Roe, who entered the House of Lords in January, said he met the family of the victim who he saw jump out of the building. “Their courage was shocking, their courage was as significant as the firefighter who suffered serious injury and took himself back into the tower,” he said.
“Their clarity about what had gone wrong – they told me what had gone wrong, they explained the failure of my institution to me. They explained the failure of Government to me, they told me that they expected justice, and they told me what they wanted.
“We are not there yet, because they set clear and straightforward expectations.”
He added: “The physical memorial that must be laid there on the Lancaster West is for the families, is for those who survived.
“If you ever doubt the necessity of it, I would ask you to think to my colleague and to the family of that young man, the desperate situation they found themselves in, and the courage with which they have lifted themselves since.”
Communities minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said: “The fire at Grenfell Tower, which claimed the lives of 72 people, was a profound and available tragedy. Its consequences continue to be felt by bereaved families, survivors, and the local community, and far beyond. Grenfell must never be forgotten.”
Lady Taylor added: “The memorial will honour those who lost their lives, and those whose lives were permanently changed by the tragedy. It will be a place for remembrance, reflection and respect.”
Conservative shadow minister Baroness Scott of Bybrook said: “This is not a political issue. We must work together across the political divides to do the right thing for the Grenfell community.”
