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Three million Britons claim to live in flammable apartments

The companies were involved in the development of Grenfell Tower in London, where 72 people in 2017 died in a fatal house fire.

“This disaster has led to at least three million tenants living in flammable apartments they can not sell,” he said. it reads in parts of the letter, which was sent to the head of the Oil Fund, Nicolai Tangen, on Friday.

They ask him, as a major shareholder, to pressure a total of eleven companies to fix the security problems and provide compensation to the victims of the Grenfell fire.

The Petroleum Fund is an investor in three companies, which were involved in producing materials used at Grenfell Tower in London, writes BBC.

CLEAN-UP WORK: Firefighters sprayed water on the apartment block, Grenfell Tower, which was completely damaged after a large fire broke out. The photo was taken on June 16, 2017. Photo: Reuters / Hannah Mckay

If they do not succeed in putting pressure on the companies, the survivors of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the Petroleum Fund, ask to get rid of their holdings in the companies in question, the letter states, reproduced by BBC.

The letter was first mentioned by The Times.

On Monday, NBIM sent a response to the survivors. The letter has been sent to TV 2, and here it says, among other things:

«We report annually on our activities in a responsible investment report. However, we do not comment more continuously on ownership commitments or other investment-related information about individual companies we invest in », writes NBIM.

Ask to withdraw shareholdings

The fatal fire, which in 2017 left Grenfell Tower in ruins, cost 72 lives. The fire is described as one of the woefirst crises in the UK modern history.

THE OIL FUND: The head of the Oil Fund, Nicolai Tangen, is asked to take action after a fire scandal in the UK.  Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB

THE OIL FUND: The head of the Oil Fund, Nicolai Tangen, is asked to take action after a fire scandal in the UK. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen / NTB

After the tragedy, flammable clothing and other fire safety faults were discovered in hundreds of apartment blocks across the UK.

It will cost millions to secure these homes.

Among other things, NBIM is asked to withdraw the Petroleum Fund’s shareholdings in the companies in question, or to put pressure on them to improve fire safety.

In NBIM’s response, they write that they have already raised security with several of the companies.

“We can confirm that we have addressed product safety with several of the companies mentioned in your letter. This is a topic we will continue to monitor “, NBIM writes in its response.

REMEMBER: Residents of London held each other during a ceremony, three years after the house fire.  Photo: Henry Nicholls / Reuters

REMEMBER: Residents of London held each other during a ceremony, three years after the house fire. Photo: Henry Nicholls / Reuters

72 people died

It was on June 14, 2017 that a fire broke out in the kitchen of an apartment in fourth floor of the high-rise block. The high-rise in North Kensington London consisted of 23 floors.

Within minutes, the fire raged outside the building and spread to all four sides of the building. Within two hours, most of the upper floors were on fire.

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