Chilling Netflix Doc Unveils Unseen Grenfell Phone Footage as Family Battles Rising Black Smoke

Isn’t it strange—almost darkly ironic—how streaming platforms always warn us about “graphic images” before plunging us into the searing heart of someone else’s tragedy? Maybe it’s the digital equivalent of looking both ways before you cross a one-way street; you know the warning’s coming, but you brace yourself anyway, unsure if emotional whiplash is ever truly avoidable . So, here we are: Netflix’s Grenfell: Uncovered has landed, ready to peel back the layers of bureaucracy, heartbreak, and thick, poisonous smoke that once choked Grenfell Tower and its besieged residents . As I pressed play, I couldn’t help but wonder—if warnings could save us from pain, how did seventy-two people lose their lives in a fire that was supposed to be impossible? The searing questions, the raw testimonies, the haunting footage—they’re all here, pulling you from your couch straight into the blackened stairwells of that infamous June night . Think you’re ready for the truth? Yeah, me neither . LEARN MORE

Warning: This article contains graphic images and video which some readers may find distressing.

A new documentary focusing on the Grenfell Tower Fire has been released on Netflix, revealing the harrowing moment residents trapped inside saw their homes become filled with toxic, black smoke.

Grenfell: Uncovered focuses on the events leading to the horrific 2017 tragedy, the families and victims involved, as well as the ensuing investigation.

Eight years ago, a high-rise fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey block of flats located in North Kensington, West London, after an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor.

It started at 12:54am on 14 June 2017, and it would burn for a devastating 60 hours.

The incident would cost the lives of 70 people at the scene, with an additional two people passing away in hospital.

In June 2017, Grenfell Tower in West London became engulfed in flames after an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor (DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

223 people would escape, though over 70 people were left with injuries, in what is the UK’s worst residential fire since World War II, during the Blitz.

Footage from inside the building during the fire was also included in the powerful Netflix documentary, with one in particular showing the desperation of the Gomes family.

Dad Marcio and daughter Luana spoke in the documentary, sharing a harrowing recollection of events while they were trapped in their home on the 21st floor.

He recalled that his wife Andreia was seven months pregnant with their son, while also being asthmatic, while Megan was also asthmatic.

Luana, who was just 12 at the time, recalled: “I remember my dad filling up the bathtub with water, and literally putting in so many towels, making sure they were drenched.”

Marcio remembered the smoke that came from outside the room, which is played over footage of what he saw at the time, in the documentary.

“Each moment, things were getting worse and worse, to the point where (I opened) the door to see what was going on, and it was just smoke,” he explained.

Describing the smoke as ‘extremely thick’ and ‘black’, he said that opening the door and trying to breath brought on a gag reflex, as it was ‘like it was chemically infused’.

He opened the door as the family were told to leave the flat, though the smoke stopped them in their tracks.

The door was keeping the black smoke from getting to the family (Netflix)

Covered in wet blankets and towels, the entire family managed to make their way out, with a recording being heard in the doc of Marcio crying on the phone to the fire brigade.

Luana said that she remembers ‘stepping on so many bodies’ on their way down the smoke-riddled stairwell, and that she feels guilty for getting to live her life after what happened to her brother on the way.

Her mother had to be resuscitated, and a decision had to be made to save the mum’s life or that of the unborn baby. This resulted in the baby being stillborn, becoming the 72nd victim.

Viewers of the documentary took to social media to continue to spread their support for the families of the Grenfell victims.

Marcio recalled the horrific events that his family had to go through (Netflix)

Many described the film as ‘heartbreaking’ and a ‘tough watch’, while others pointed out that no-one has been brought to justice following the fire.

One user wrote: “The Grenfell doc on Netflix has me sobbing. My heart breaks once again.”

Another added that it was a ‘bloody hard watch’ as the incident was ‘unnecessary’.

Grenfell: Uncovered is available to stream on Netflix now.