FALLOUT

Insurers Warned British Government of Fire Risk Before London Blaze

Told authorities external cladding could be dangerous a month before Grenfell inferno.

Britain’s insurance industry had warned the government about the risks of flammable external cladding on high rises just a month before a massive fire in a London apartment building killed at least 79 people. The Association of British Insurers issued a statement Sunday saying it had been urging the government to review fire-safety regulations since 2009, even warning in May that external cladding on high rises could rapidly spread fire, Reuters reported. The government has yet to respond to the statement, but authorities announced this weekend that 60 buildings across England have failed fire-safety tests conducted in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire on June 14. Thousands of residents in north London were hurriedly evacuated from their homes Friday night after authorities found their buildings used materials similar to the cladding on Grenfell Tower.