Two survivors of 2017's deadly Grenfell Tower fire in London are in Pittsburgh with fellow activists this week to demand accountability of the Arconic Corporation.
The multibillion-dollar maker of metals and architectural products, an Alcoa spin-off, is headquartered on the North Side. Arconic manufactured the aluminum-and-polyethylene panels that covered Grenfell Tower, and on which a 2024 British public inquiry laid much of the blame for the severity of the late-night fire, in which 72 people died.
The visit includes a Sat., May 31, film screening and discussion at Downtown's Harris Theater. The survivors said they felt it was important to bring the issue to Arconic's hometown.
"It's to show the people from Pittsburgh that this massive corporation is on their doorstep, but they haven't let out to nobody. Nobody knows about it. … There's total kind of silence in the community," said Nick Burton. He and his wife were rescued from Grenfell's 19th floor, but his wife died a few months later.
Most of the disaster's victims were Black or members of other ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom.
Marcio Gomes, who escaped from his home on the 21st floor with his wife and two daughters, said products made by Arconic and other implicated manufacturers are still in use on buildings around the world. "We can't change what happened to us, but I'm hoping we can have an influence on what happens in the future to ensure that a Grenfell No. 2 doesn't happen again," he said.
"It's significant for Arconic to take ownership of actually the impact they've had on people's lives, the loss of loved ones," said Moyra Samuels, who lived near Grenfell Tower, has been a key activist with the group Justice4Grenfell, and is also in Pittsburgh this week. "But at the same time to realize that actually for us, as a community, we want to see them in the dock. And we want to see them prosecuted."
British authorities have yet to file criminal charges in the matter. The public inquiry released this past September laid blame on multiple parties, including government officials. And it alleged "systematic dishonesty" by Arconic and a second manufacturer responsible for manufacturing the insulation in the building, while singling out Arconic as "by far the largest contributor" to the fire, in part because it "deliberately concealed from the market" the dangers of its product.
In a statement issued in response to the inquiry, Arconic denied any wrongdoing.
"We reject any claim that AAP sold an unsafe product," the Sept. 4 statement read in part. "AAP did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public."
Reached for comment about the survivors' Pittsburgh visit, a spokesperson for Arconic Architectural Products, the Arconic subsidiary that sold the cladding, wrote, "AAP, along with others, contributed to financial settlements for those whose lives were harmed by the fire, and will play its full part in the remaining legal procedures that address its impact."
In 2023, corporations whose products were involved in the fire signed an agreement to pay damages totaling about 150 million pounds for about 900 cases. Burton and Gomes said they signed the agreement, and that it prohibits signatories from seeking any further civil damages.
Arconic was known as Alcoa until 2016. It makes and markets aluminum products for industries including aerospace, transportation, and construction. Its revenues in 2022, the most recent year available, was $9 billion. The company was taken private by Apollo Global in May 2023.
Burton, Gomes and Samuels came to Pittsburgh in collaboration with Chris Ivey, the Pittsburgh-based filmmaker who has been documenting the cause of the survivors, their families and their community for years.
On Saturday, Ivey will screen his work-in-progress documentary "From Grenfell to Pittsburgh" at the Harris, followed by a discussion with Burton, Gomes and Samuels. The event runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free but registration is required.
A trailer for the film is here.
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