Ladders came up short, and cost lives, in London high-rise: firefighters

London

MORE lives could have been saved in the Grenfell Tower blaze in London that killed at least 80 people, firefighters say, but a lack of equipment, particularly fire engines with ladders high enough to reach the top floors of the 24-story building, impeded the rescue effort.

"We just think it's almost criminal that an international city like London, the 13th-richest in the world, and our highest ladder only goes up 30 metres, where some Third World countries have 90-metre ladders," said Lucy Masoud, a London firefighter and an official with the Fire Brigades Union.