Prior to the final report on the Grenfell fire being made public on Wednesday, a congregation of people assembled near the shell of the tower block in West London, paying respects at the memorial wall. Among the numerous tributes, one shone distinctly under the soft lighting of the memorial – a plaque honouring Denis Murphy, resident of Flat 111, on the 14th Floor of the Grenfell Tower. At the age of 56, Denis lost his life in the tragedy.
His mother, Anne, had relocated from Ireland’s Limerick to London in the 1950s. The eldest of four children, Denis was a painter and decorator by profession. He had a deep affection for his Irish roots and was an ardent fan of Chelsea football club. A divorced man, Denis maintained an amicable relationship with his ex-wife Tracey, with whom he had a son, Peter.
The night the fire erupted, Denis transmitted distressing messages to his brother Tim’s phone, stating he was ensnared. His sister, with whom he shared a name with their mother, was alerted by Tim. Accompanied by Peter and Tracey, she hurried to Grenfell. It was about 2am, and Grenfell was alight.
Anne managed to reach Denis on his phone. Recounting her conversation at the inquiry, she said, “I asked him, ‘are you all right?’ and he answered, ‘No sis, I’m not.'” The confirmation that Denis was in grave danger hit Anne when she picked up on a communication from a police officer’s radio – the leisure centre was being utilised as a temporary morgue.
At a certain moment, Peter had a brief conversation with his father, whom Denis affectionately referred to as Boysie. Denis’s panicky voice still ringed in Peter’s ears, “Boysie, Boysie, I’m trapped, I can’t breathe”. The agonising confirmation of Denis’s death came to his family after three more days.
According to the inquiry’s report which collated various facets, Denis died due to smoke inhalation, between 4am and 4.35am on the day the fire broke out.
In the original scenario, a man found himself caught in flat 113 of a neighbour’s house, trapped with Zainab Deen, a 32-year-old single mother, her toddler son, Jeremiah, and Mohammed Alhajali, a 23-year-old refugee hailing from Syria. The unfortunate quartet were advised by a firefighter to seek refuge in the apartment. However, amid the ensuing pandemonium, they were abandoned and subsequently lost their lives.
Struggling to breathe, Zainab reached out to her closest friend, Francis Dean, whom she had interaction with just a few hours prior to the tragic incident. Francis dashed to the site of the disaster, only to be halted by a police barrier. Unable to bear the heart-wrenching sounds of his choking friend, he passed his mobile to a firefighter.
While conversing with the firefighter over the phone, Zainab shared the tragic news that her son had passed away in her arms. The grief-stricken firefighter returned the phone to Francis, urging him to express his love to his dying friend, to which Francis complied.
In the aftermath, Francis joined a group named “Grenfell Next of Kin”, a representative body of around 34 bereaved family members, predominantly from ethnic minorities. They held a press briefing in a hotel located in West London on the following Wednesday, expressing their discontentment with the inquiry, which spanned a disappointing seven years.
Francis lamented about the significant toll the calamity had on his life – losing his job and sinking into an unemployed status. Meanwhile, Hisam Choucair, an unfortunate victim who witnessed the death of six family members including his aged mother, sister, her three young daughters and their father, spoke out about how the lengthy inquiry had only intensified their agony while delaying the justice his family rightfully deserved.