The British government announced on Friday that the remains of Grenfell Tower, an apartment block in London which was gutted by a deadly fire eight years ago, are to be demolished.

Flames ripped through the high-rise apartment building in the west of the UK capital in the early hours of June 14, 2017, killing 72 residents.

The started as a small refrigerator fire but the flames soon ignited combustible exterior cladding of the building itself. The tragedy shone a spotlight on dishonest construction companies, weak government regulation and complacent local authorities in an area which was home to many low-income families with migratory backgrounds.

The charred remains of Grenfell Tower have remained propped up and encased ever since. Some of the victims' relatives have stated that they would like it to remain that way, serving as a monument to those who died.

Grenfell Tower to be taken down 'sensitively'

But the government said that the building's skeleton was increasingly unstable and unsafe, and has suggested that redeveloping the site would help the community heal.

"Grenfell Tower will be carefully taken down," read a government statement, adding that the process, which won't begin before the eighth anniversary of the disaster in June, would take around two years so as to ensure it is done "sensitively."

Some relatives had suggested retaining a certain number of floors, but the government said it had consulted engineers who had advised that this would neither be feasible, not fair.

"Taking the engineering advice into account, the Deputy Prime Minister [Angela Rayner] has concluded that it would not be fair to keep some floors of the building that are significant to some families, whilst not being able to do so for others," it said.

"For some, this would be deeply upsetting."

How have victims' relatives responded?

Relatives of the victims were split on the decision. Grenfell United, which represents some of the survivors and families, said it was "disgraceful" and claimed that victims were ignored in a short consultation period before the announcement.

However, Grenfell Next of Kin said it was a "sensitive decision" which "came after a thorough engagement process" and was informed by "safety concerns" surrounding the structural integrity of the scaffolded remains of the building.

A public inquiry into the disaster found no "single cause" but concluded that decades of failures by government, regulators and industry had converted Grenfell Tower into a "death trap."

It found that the 72 deaths were "all avoidable" and blamed the "systematic dishonesty" of building firms.