Naman Shrestha
Netflix’s ‘Grenfell: Uncovered’ is a documentary film that chronicles the devastating tragedy of June 2017, involving the fire at the Grenfell Tower in London, England. It also delves deep into the critical mistakes made by companies and officials, whose decisions could have prevented the incident that took the lives of more than 80 innocent residents. Amidst the victims was Mohammad Alhajali, who lived on the 14th floor of the building with his brother.
Mohammad Alhajali Was an Immigrant From Syria
Born in 1993, Mohammad Alhajali was the second eldest of the five children of the Alhajali family, who were residents of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. He spent his early days with his parents, two sisters, and two brothers, Omar and Hashem, in their homeland. However, when civil war began unfolding in Daraa in southwestern Syria, the three brothers decided to flee the country and seek asylum in another nation. While they acknowledged they had no one to call their own in the foreign land and didn’t even speak their language, Hashem, Omar, and Mohammad knew they had each other, which was more than enough. Thus, with hopes in their eyes and a desire for safety, better opportunities, and a decent life, the Alhajali brothers entered the United Kingdom in early 2014.
Upon their arrival in England, they found refuge in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, where they stayed for a while before Omar and Mohammad decided to relocate to London. As time passed, they got familiar with the English way of life. Sometime in September 2016, Mohammad and his brother, Omar, moved into Grenfell Tower, a residential building in North Kensington in West London. In particular, they lived in Flat 112 on the 14th floor of the 24-story tower. Mohammad was an ambitious person who had big plans for his future. Determined to build the career of his dreams, he was pursuing a degree in civil engineering at the University of West London to achieve that.
Furthermore, Mohammad had also secured part-time employment at North Kensington to financially support his life in the city. The hardworking individual looked at life with a hopeful and optimistic lens, which is a quality his loved ones admired. In just a few years, the young man had made quite a close-knit circle of friends, who adored him for his resilient, kindhearted, friendly, and cheerful nature. While he left his birthplace behind, Mohammad had not forgotten his roots. To honor that, he often contributed to the causes of refugees from different parts of the world in whatever capacity he could. He was ever ready to lend a helping hand to those from the Syrian community. While he was working towards a brighter future, his heart was still in Syria, where his parents and sisters resided.
Mohammad yearned for the day they could leave the war-torn country and move closer to him. The 23-year-old aimed to do everything he could to make that happen, to bring all of them together under one roof so they could live as a happy family again. According to reports, Mohammad also had an upcoming marriage on the cards. He was also looking forward to attending The Great Get Together (inspired by the beliefs of the late British MP Jo Cox) and Refugee Week — national initiatives that bring people together and celebrate the contributions of the refugees, respectively — with his brothers, when his life was cut short by a tragedy that befell the Grenfell Tower on June 14, 2017.
Mohammad Was Trapped in the Flat For About Two Hours After Separating From His Brother
When the fire at the Grenfell Tower started on June 14, 2017, Mohammad Alhajali was in the 14th-floor apartment he shared with his brother, Omar. As the smoke began seeping into their house and the rest of the building, teams of firefighters entered the tower and rescued many residents. The Alhajali brothers were later joined by a few of their neighbors, including Zainab Deen, her son, Jeremiah, and Denis Murphy, who were transferred by some firefighters, promising that they would come back to rescue them all. When a team of firefighters entered the flat after a while, all of them tried to leave the building but couldn’t due to the smoke and fire in the corridor, except for Omar Alhajali, who managed to get out of the tower safely.
Separated from his brother, Mohammad returned to the flat with the others and waited for help to arrive. He tried to get in touch with his family in Syria, but the call didn’t get through. For the next two hours, he was trapped inside his flat and reportedly watched his neighbors die. Meanwhile, he stayed on a call with his other brother, Hashem, who claimed that Mohammad had gradually lost his energy while talking on the phone. In his final moments, he wanted to speak to his mother, but Hashem was afraid that he might not be able to get through to him if he let him hang up. Before that, he had reportedly called up his friends and told them to tell his family in Syria that he loved them.
Hashem claimed that he also played the Quran for Mohammad from a speaker. Around 5 am, Mohammad suddenly claimed that he saw the fire. Soon, the line broke off, and he reportedly jumped from a window and died, trying to get away from the fire. Later, his remains were found covered in debris in Grenfell Walk, as he was the first victim to be identified out of dozens of other residents who lost their lives on the tragic night.
Read More: Omar Alhaj Ali: Where is the Grenfell Fire Survivor Now?
