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Summerland fire foretold Grenfell disaster

The 1973 fire features in BBC2 documentary

A BBC Documentary called The Fires That Foretold Grenfell, has featured the Summerland fire of 1973.

It's the first in a series of fires used to illustrate all the warning signs ahead of the London tragedy in June last year.

The 60-minute programme is a story of five fires that foretold the 2017 disaster, told through the eyes of those directly involved. 

It collates the memories of survivors, the bereaved, fire-fighters, safety experts and politicians linked to five fire disasters preceding Grenfell.

Archive footage of Summerland blazing is seen in the documentary, making for dramatic and moving recounts of the event.

Other fires revisited are the 1991 Knowsley Heights fire in Liverpool, the 1999 Garnock Court fire, Ircine, N Ayrshire, the Harrow Court fire in Stevenage in 2005 and most recently the Lakanal House fire in London in 2009.

The programme is available on the BBC's iPlayer for 30 days after its broadcast.

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