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The gas engineer hailed as “inspirational” for his actions in battling the Grenfell Tower blaze has played down his role in the rescue efforts.
In the phase one report on the tragedy by Sir Martin Moore-Blick, Cadent network engineer Jason Allday was praised for his “leadership, clarity of planning and careful execution”
Allday led the operation that ultimately resulted in the gas supply being cut off to the North Kensington tower block after it was overtaken by fire on 17 June 2017.
Despite not being on duty that day, Allday headed to the scene after seeing the incident unfold on TV and used his local knowledge to assist firefighters.
This involved entering the basement of the building with colleague Patrick Kelly to inspect the valves. When the extreme conditions made it impossible to shut off the gas this way, Allday set to work on the dangerous task of cutting the supply in the surrounding roads, which were within the safety corden.
In his submission to the inquiry, Allday recalled a number of “tense” moments when tough decisions had to be made about carrying on the work.
When the supply was eventually cut off that night, the flames in the tower died down immediately, highlighting the role gas had played in driving the fire.
Allday remained at the site until the following morning, having spent almost 24 hours helping the operation.
In a statement, Allday said: “I do not consider myself “an unsung hero” as reported in some of the media this week. I saw what was unfolding on TV and I called my line manager and we decided to head to site.
“My team and I worked to cut off the gas supply to Grenfell Tower as quickly and as safely as we could.
“This report is for those who were affected by the tragedy at Grenfell Tower. I feel the focus should be on them, not myself, as I was just doing my job.
“My sincere sympathy goes out to those affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower.”
A Cadent spokesperson said: “Cadent is proud of all of the engineers who attended the fire at Grenfell Tower and the work they carried out on the night, in such difficult and challenging circumstances. We appreciate the kind words that have been said about Jason Allday but we do not think it is appropriate to be commenting further. This Phase 1 report is for those who were affected by the tragedy at Grenfell Tower and the focus should be on them.”
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