LONDON — Scotland Yard said it will send evidence files to prosecutors later this year seeking criminal charges against 77 companies and individuals over the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people. Police said they will ask the Crown Prosecution Service to make charging decisions about 57 individuals and 20 companies.

The Crown Prosecution Service expects to make decisions on charges by June 2027. No individual or company is expected to appear in court before next year at the earliest, and no trial is likely to reach a jury until 2028 or later.

Offences under consideration include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, fraud, and health and safety offences. Misconduct in public office is also being considered. The Metropolitan Police investigation is examining the causes of the fire for criminal culpability and how the tower block came to be in a condition that allowed the blaze to spread widely and quickly.

Lead investigator Garry Moncrieff said his team of 220 detectives had gathered "strong evidence" of potential wrongdoing. The police investigation has so far cost £150 million. A replica of the tower costing £2 million will be built so that jurors can understand how the building looked before the fire spread through it.

A public inquiry led by retired judge Martin Moore-Bick concluded in 2024, finding widespread failures in the construction industry, the council, regulators, and central government. The inquiry concluded that at the heart of the tragedy was the "systematic dishonesty" of multimillion-dollar companies whose products caused the fire to spread so rapidly. Moore-Bick said: "The simple truth is the deaths that occurred were all avoidable."

Grenfell United, which represents survivors and bereaved families, responded to the announcement in a statement. "For our community, this is not news we meet with celebration. We meet it with caution, grief and determination. We have waited almost a decade for accountability," the group said. "This was not a tragedy without cause. Those responsible must now be held to account. Our community cannot be expected to endure years more of delay. The Ministry of Justice and the government must ensure the courts are properly resourced so that any prosecutions linked to Grenfell are heard swiftly. Justice delayed any further would be unacceptable."