They called their parents as the smoke filled their flat. There was nothing anyone could do but listen.
Building a Life Together
Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi met in 2014 while studying architecture at Venice University. After graduating with honors in early 2017, the couple, both in their mid-twenties, moved to London together to begin their careers, each finding positions at architecture firms within weeks of arriving. They lived on the 23rd floor of Grenfell Tower in Notting Hill.
The Fire
On the night of June 14, 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower that would ultimately kill at least 72 people, one of the deadliest residential fires in modern British history. Gloria and Marco called their families in Italy as the fire spread, initially reassuring them that firefighters were on the scene and they were safe in their high-floor flat, in line with official advice at the time to stay in place.
As the night went on, smoke began filling their apartment. In their final calls, placed around 4 a.m., both told their families they could not escape — the smoke was too thick, and the elevators were no longer working. Neither survived the fire.
Their Legacy
Their deaths, and the final phone calls made public by their grieving families, became some of the most widely reported personal accounts of the Grenfell Tower disaster in Italian and British media, contributing to public scrutiny of the building's safety failures and the "stay put" guidance given to residents that night.
FAQ
Who were Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi?
Two young Italian architects who had recently moved to London to begin their careers when they died in the Grenfell Tower fire.
How many people died in the Grenfell Tower fire?
At least 72 people died in the June 2017 fire, one of the UK's deadliest residential fires in decades.
Why couldn't Gloria and Marco escape?
They followed official "stay put" guidance for high-floor residents, but the fire's rapid spread through the building's exterior cladding made escape impossible once smoke filled their floor.