A horrific fire at a 24-story residential building in London has left at least 79 dead or missing. The tragedy raised inevitable questions about maintenance and fire protection, but it also highlighted fundamental concerns about British society, in particular the growing inequality that marks life in London and a seeming indifference among officials to lives of the poor.

Grenfell Tower was built in 1974, a square 120-unit concrete tower that is located in a part of London that also is home to some of the most expensive property and wealthiest residents of the city. The building is public housing and, as is typical of such residences, has become increasingly crowded as rents increased. Grenfell Tower was home to an estimated 600 people, including many foreigners living in small, crowded apartments with families of six (or more) crammed into two bedrooms.

Investigators have not determined what started the fire, although there are reports a faulty refrigerator may have been the trigger. Numerous complaints had been raised in recent years about the building's lack of safety features: It had just one external stairway, no central alarm or sprinkler systems, and it had been wrapped in cladding during refurbishment that was not fire-resistant — to save money — and may have accelerated the blaze.