U.S. Maker of Panels in London Fire: Others Install Them

The head of the U.S. company that manufactures the panels used outside a London apartment tower where at least 80 people died in a fire says his company quit selling them for high-rises because it can’t control how they are installed.

David Hess, interim CEO of Arconic Inc., said Monday that the company is still working with investigators on the Grenfell Tower inferno.

Hess said it’s up to other companies, including architects and contractors, to ensure that cladding systems comply with codes and regulations.

An Associated Press review found that some building owners in the U.S. were unaware that the same Reynobond panels with a polyethylene core were used on their buildings as well. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta says polyethylene is combustible.