Grenfell survivor whose dad died in blaze is finally rehomed in fire hazard flat where water pours through ceiling
A GRENFELL survivor whose dad died in the blaze is back living in a hotel after the home given to him became a FIRE hazard and started leaking.
Bobby Ross, 29, is currently staying in a Kensington hotel after being forced to leave his new flat when water started pouring through a light socket.
He was hoping to be rehomed after his flat on the 15th floor was destroyed in the fire which claimed the lives of 72 people.
But after entering the two-bed flat in Hammersmith earlier this week, he quickly noticed it was leaking and unsafe so moved out without spending the night.
Exclusive footage obtained by The Sun Online – the day before the second anniversary of the tragedy – shows water pouring from the ceiling and emerging from the doorframe.
EIGHTH HOTEL SINCE BLAZE
Kensington and Chelsea Council were then forced to move him into a hotel – his eighth since the devastating fire.
One of the victims was his dad Steve Power, 63, who died with his three Staffordshire Bull Terriers wrapped around him after being advised to stay in his flat.
Bobby had left the flat to buy some food at midnight on the day of the fire and returned to see it completely ablaze.
He has been left feeling suicidal after he lost his dad and did not move from the base of tower desperately waiting and hoping that his dad would be found alive.
Some have even had mice. And the latest flat that I had to move out of this week was a fire hazard as water leaked over the light fittings.
Bobby Ross
Bobby has effectively been homeless for two years, disastrously rehoused numerous times by the council who have provided him with totally inadequate housing solutions.
His furious girlfriend said: “He will be the only bereaved resident in a hotel on the anniversary.”
Describing the aftermath of the fire, Bobby said: “I didn’t eat anything and I didn’t sleep during that first 48 hours.
“For maybe over 15 years my dad had been telling them about how dangerous the tower was. He was continually ignored.
BOTTOM OF THE LIST
“If there is a pile, a list, then I feel like I have been left at the very bottom. Many times I have attempted or considered suicide.”
Describing some of the homes he lived in since, he added: “Some have even had mice. And the latest flat that I had to move out of this week was a fire hazard as water leaked over the light fittings.
“Now, two years on from the fire I am one of if not the only survivor back living at a hotel. It’s been a rollercoaster.
“Every time I feel like a chance is happening for me with a new property, something always happens. There’s always work that needs to be done.
“I’m not able to move in. I haven’t been able to move on. I’ve been very low. I have had a few suicide attempts.
“Mentally I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.”
I’m not able to move in. I haven’t been able to move on. I’ve been very low. I have had a few suicide attempts.
Bobby Ross
Tomorrow marks 24 months since a small kitchen fire in the building turned into the most deadly domestic blaze since the Second World War.
Bereaved families will gather for a memorial service at the nearby St Helen’s Church in the morning, which will set the tone for a day of remembrance.
For just over a year the building has stood surrounded by white sheeting, with banners featuring the green Grenfell heart and the words “Grenfell forever in our hearts” emblazoned across it.
Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, told The Sun Online: “We have been working hard to make the properties we bought for bereaved, survivors and their families into a place they can call home, working with them to do so in incredibly complex circumstances.
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“This hasn’t been simple – it was never going to be. We had experienced housing officers making this clear to people two years ago.
“We are nearly there, but we will not be rushing the last few families to meet artificial deadlines.
“There is currently one household in a hotel, and 184 families have a permanent home.
“Council staff have never stopped caring and never stopped working, and this will continue to be the case when every family is in their new home and starting to rebuild their lives, and we are working with our colleagues in the NHS who will be crucial for this long-term effort.”
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