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The firm which made the Grenfell Tower cladding was warned that a fire in a building fitted with the product would kill '60 to 70' people - a decade before the disaster.
Gerard Sonntag, a former marketing manager at Arconic, sent an internal memo in 2007 with the chilling prediction made by a building expert at a conference.
Mr Sonntag suggested Arconic stop selling the flammable version of its cladding to avoid any 'catastrophic' consequences.
But it continued to sell the panels to the UK construction market and they were fitted to Grenfell over 2015 and 2016.
The cladding helped cause the rapid spread of the fire at the tower in west London in June 2017, which claimed 72 lives.
© Provided by Daily MailThe firm which made the Grenfell Tower cladding was warned that a fire in a building fitted with the product would kill ¿60 to 70¿ people ¿ a decade before the disaster. Pictured: The Grenfell Tower as seen from Silchester Road on February 16, 2021
The public inquiry into the disaster was yesterday shown internal company documents obtained by investigators.
Richard Millett QC, counsel to the inquiry, said Mr Sonntag had been 'very impressed' by a presentation on fire safety by cladding expert Fred-Roderich Pohl at a conference in Norway.
Mr Pohl highlighted the risks of using aluminium composite cladding (ACM) with a polyethylene core, which he said had the same 'fuel power' as a lorry full of oil.
He told the conference: 'What will happen if only one building made out of polyethylene core is on fire and kills 60 to 70 persons? What is the responsibility of the ACM supplier?'
Last month the inquiry heard Arconic was repeatedly warned about the fire risks of the cladding. The inquiry continues.
It came as insurance companies were accused of 'profiteering' from the crisis by hiking premiums by up to 3,000 per cent for those living in unsafe homes.
© Provided by Daily MailThe cladding helped cause the rapid spread of the fire at the tower in west London in June 2017 (pictured), which claimed 72 lives
In a Westminster debate yesterday, Tory MP Bob Neill said insurers had made 'unreasonable' profits, while Labour MP Margaret Hodge accused firms of 'profiteering'.
The Association of British Insurers rejected the claims, saying: 'Insurers are committed to working with the Government and property owners to see reforms that will [reduce] premiums.'
The Daily Mail is campaigning to end the cladding scandal. Around 1.3 million flats are unsellable unless they pass safety tests after guidance issued post-Grenfell.
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