Here at #GrenfellInquiry as the chairman hears evidence from Farhad Neda, who lived with his mother and father on the 23rd floor of Grenfell Tower.
A link to Farhad Neda's witness statement can be found here. He has been talking about the night of the fire, and how he and his parents arrived home at 12.52am. The fire started at 12.54am. #GrenfellInquiry
As they got home, he and his mum heard the ventilation system 'going off' outside the flat. It was so loud, they called the TMO's emergency number to report it between 1am and 1.15am. #GrenfellInquiry
We're going to hear an audio of the call Farhad Neda made to KCTMO to report the ventilation system that was 'going off' and also see the transcript #GrenfellInquiry
In the call, Farhad Neda describes an 'electrical burning' smell from the vents. He mentions one of the lifts is out of service. The RBKC emergency operator tells him he 'might see the Fire Brigade' and to 'take care'. She does not tell him about the fire. #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says that while he was on the phone to KCTMO, he went out of the flat onto the landing, this was at 01.17am. He was trying to investigate the smell himself, and ask 'why was the smell on their floor'. They couldn't see any smoke, just the smell. #GrenfellInquiry
After reporting, he went back into the flat, tried to go to bed, and his mum came to the door and said the smell was getting worse. 'Our front door was closed and the smell had made its way into my bedroom.' #GrenfellInquiry
After a short break, the #GrenfellInquiry is hearing evidence from Farhad Neda, who lived on the 23 floor with his mother, and his father who died in the fire. He is describing how there was a gate to the roof that was locked.
Farhad Neda describes that the net time he went onto the landing, other people had started to leave their flats. He recalls that his dad was looking out of the window, and he said, 'I think there's a fire downstairs.' They couldn't see the fire at the time. #GrenfellInquiry
He and his family got dressed, left the flat, locked the front door, went into the staircase. At that point they saw people from downstairs coming up - neighbours from the lower floors. There was very little smoke but smoke had started coming in through the vents #GrenfellInquiry
Smoke was coming in through vents in lobby area 'slowly, slowly filling up the lobby with smoke.' They went back into their flat because they felt unsafe in the lobby. Farhad Neda kept looking through the peephole & he could see it was getting thicker and thicker #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda is telling #GrenfellInquiry very calmly that smoke started filled the lobby until he couldn't see anything, then came in through the front door, and started making its way into the other rooms. It got to a point where he couldn't stand near the door any more.
Farhad Neda tells #GrenfellInquirythat neighbours came up from downstairs, thinking that helicopters would rescue them from the roof.
Farhad Neda describes how everyone was opening the doors on their landing as people came up from downstairs. Mariem and Eslah Elgwahry, who had fled the fire when it reached their flat on 22nd floor, came into their flat along with Sakina & Fatima Afrasahabi. #GrenfellInquiry
Each time the door was opened, smoke poured into the flat. His father kept walking around, and at one point said to them, don't go into the bedroom, the fire is already there. #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says the black smoke started filling the flat, and he realised that the smoke was taking a toll on them when he looked at everyone and saw there were black marks around everyone's noses - he says he thought it must be affecting him too #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says that he was trying to open the windows to let the smoke out, but smoke was coming in from outside. He is asked about the gaps in the windows after the refurbishment. #GrenfellInquiry
We hear that they were filling up buckets of water from the kitchen sink, throwing water onto the carpets, dipping towels into the buckets to put over their faces. #GrenfellInquiry
#GrenfellInquiry is speaking to Mr Neda about this section of his evidence, a very harrowing description of how he came to the decision that his family had to leave the flat. 'The smoke was just cornering us,' he says. 
He describes how the kitchen was the last smoke free place, and they 'didn't have anywhere else to hide from the smoke.' #GrenfellInquiry
During all this time, Mr Neda was on the phone to family and friends who were standing with firefighters and were passing on advice. They kept being told that firefighters were coming up to them, and would be with them soon #GrenfellInquiry
When he told firefighters there were two disabled people in the flat, the response was 'they already know that. So I thought, ok, they're clearly thinking about us, they know we're up here, as they must be coming to get us. I had no reason to disbelieve them.' #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes sending a message to a friend who lived on the 3rd floor, who was outside, he asked, 'Is there any hope?' She didn't have an answer for him. 'At that point I -- I just thought ....they're not going to get here in time.' #GrenfellInquiry
This is an image of that exchange that Farhad Neda has supplied to the inquiry. It means he had conversations with firefighters before and after 2.01am, about 15 mins before he made the decision to leave. #GrenfellInquiry
Previously they'd heard that the stairs were on fire. He thought that there was just no other way to get out. He thought that if they did encounter flames, it might be possible to seek refuge in another lobby on another floor #GrenfellInquiry
Inquiry counsel asks them if, before they left, a firefighter had come to their door? Farhad Neda says he's sure that no one did. #GrenfellInquiry
Mr Neda is asked about the physical impact that the smoke had on him as he grabbed his mother and went into the lobby. He says that he was coughing, his mother was struggling to talk. Halfway down the stairs, his mother lost consciousness. #GrenfellInquiry
He says that the door to the stairwell on 23rd floor was closed. The doors would usually close automatically, but he couldn't see to check if it was closed. #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says when they left the flat door was open, he thought his father was following. He says about a week after being fitted, the door to their flat had broken. They called the TMO, and someone came around and removed a chain - this was never repaired #GrenfellInquiry
Asked about the smoke, Farhad Neda says, 'Every breath that I took, I could just taste it, taste the sourness of it...it felt more acidic [than the smoke in the flat]...it felt like it was just burning away inside.' #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes how impossible it would have been for his mother to walk downstairs. He had to take her weight, or they would not have been able to leave. He had one hand on the bannister, and his mother's arms around his neck. He carried her on his back #GrenfellInquiry
They didn't see any firefighters on the way down. They walked past firefighting hoses that didn't look as if they'd been used, they were still 'flat'. He says he recalls tripping over, and not feeling any water on the stairs. #GrenfellInquiry
Asked if he saw any other residents on the stairs, he says, 'Any person that we came across was already dead on the stairs, or they were about - they were about to pass away.' #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes how he had to go back up one flight of stairs at one point to look for more air. They went into the lobby there and lay down between flat 2 and flat 3 for a minute or so. It seemed a lot clearer #GrenfellInquiry
The air was just enough for him to go down another few floors, he thought, and he thought maybe he could do this again every few flights. #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says they encountered a firefighter 2/3 floors further down, he couldn't see them, he could hear the breathing apparatus. He thought they were going to go past them #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says that he knew his father hadn't come down, as his mother had shouted his name on several occasions, they knew he was still in the flat and told the firefighters, who wrote it down #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says that when they got out again, they told firefighters that his father and four other women were trapped in his flat #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes how his mother was given oxygen, but no one really checked up on him to see if he was ok. At one point he felt a bit lightheaded and his mum gave him some oxygen #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes how they waited outside the tower for up to 3 hours, eventually his mum was taken to hospital, he wasn't allowed to go with her as they needed space for a higher priority, he was outside until about 9am #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda describes how later he was taken into hospital, he walked into hospitals and then found he couldn't breathe. He was put into an induced coma foe 1.5 days #GrenfellInquiry
Final few questions for Farhad Neda from #GrenfellInquiry He is asked about the discussion with the group in his flat, he says he shouted 'We have to leave now', and grabbed his mum, and his father spoke to the group. This was in the kitchen.
He is asked if he can remember where everyone was sitting/standing in the kitchen. He gives his recollection of where the Afrasiabi sisters and Mariem and Eslah Elgwahry were located. He recalls that Mariem and her mother were together. #GrenfellInquiry
Asked if there is anything about the events of the night,what he saw, heard, smelled on the night that is important for the chairman to know? #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda: 'Having been in the fire that night, and not knowing what was going on outside or on the other floors of the tower, and having heard the testimony of the firefighters, I feel that the residents were fatally let down.' #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda: 'Having been in contact with the firefighters outside...I was on several occasions told that they were on their way to get us and I feel that this was false hope.' #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda: 'I feel that it's the false hope which prevented quite a number of people from escaping the tower that night...' #GrenfellInquiry
'...if they would've just told us that there's nothing we can do, do whatever you can, at least people would've had time to make the decision for themselves to get out or to stay in the building.' Farhad Neda tells #GrenfellInquiry
Farhad Neda says that if people had been told there was nothing the fire brigade would do, then they could at least have prepared themselves. They could have prayed. He says the key word is 'false hope.' #GrenfellInquiry
