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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2017/jun/14/grenfell-tower-major-fire-london-apartment-block-white-city-latimer-road
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Version 2 | Version 3 |
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London fire: fears of people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest | London fire: fears of people trapped as major blaze engulfs tower block – latest |
(35 minutes later) | |
5.02am BST | |
05:02 | |
Fire declared major incident | |
#NorthKensington tower block fire declared major incident, crews working hard at scene ©@Natalie_Oxford For updates:https://t.co/Gy6gUYc4ML pic.twitter.com/079acRjt7W | |
The London Ambulance Service has also tweeted a statement, attributed to Stuart Crighton, the assistant director of operations. | |
He says a “number of resources” are at the scene, including its specially-trained Hazardous Area Response Team and more than 20 ambulance crews, but still no detail as to the number of injuries. | |
Our latest statement on the #NorthKensington tower block fire. We have sent over 20 ambulance crews to the scene. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/j9JD8t6I3t | |
An evacuation process is still underway with people on the scene reporting that buildings near the Grenfell Tower are being evacuated due to falling debris. | |
We are being told to leave our flats nearby due to falling debris #GrenfellTower | |
Police banging on doors of nearby flats telling residents to evacuate. #LondonFire @gmb @piersmorgan @susannareid100 pic.twitter.com/ich5sd5pBZ | |
Jonathan Swain, of Good Morning Britain, says that falling debris is making fire crews’ jobs “extremely difficult and dangerous” – this video was posted 15 minutes ago. | |
Burning falling debris making @LondonFire job extremely difficult and dangerous. Pray those inside. @gmb @piersmorgan @susannareid100 pic.twitter.com/LuvSdYWIGN | |
4.55am BST | |
04:55 | |
George Osborne, the Evening Standard editor, has tweeted this view of the “awful tower block fire” from a distance. | |
Just seen this awful tower block fire near my home in W London. My prayers with those affected & heroes tackling it pic.twitter.com/MFi1DAnCSK | |
4.54am BST | |
04:54 | |
According to Get West London, the Grenfell Tower block had recently undergone a major £10 million refurbishment. Nick Paget-Brown, the leader of the Kensington and Chelsea Council, and Rock Feilding-Mellen, the deputy, visited the tower upon completion of the renovation in May last year. | |
The upgrade – which included the installation of insulated exterior cladding, new double-glazed windows, and a new communal heating system – was funded by the council as part of a multi-million-dollar regeneration of the area. | |
According to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s website, the tower block was built in 1974 and contained 120 homes, managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation on behalf of the council. Among the tenants were Grenfell Under 3s Nursery and Dale Youth Amateur Boxing Club. | |
The refurbishment also created “nine much-needed new homes have been created from unused spaces”. | |
4.46am BST | |
04:46 | |
People remain trapped inside Grenfell Tower | |
Alice Ross has just filed this devastating account from the scene: | |
People can be seen at the windows, including one man waving a blanket from the window. People from neighbouring estates are huddled outside in their pyjamas near the flaming building, some shouting “put your head out the window” or calling the man with the blanket to shout his flat numbers so they can guide the fire services to him. Fire officers are spraying his window with water to try and douse the flames. | |
There’s a smell of acrid smoke and flaming debris is spiralling from the building. There’s the sound of breaking glass and dull pops. | |
“There was a woman with a child. I saw her waving maybe 30mins ago,” said a man who asked not to be named. “She said I’ve got a child ... I saw them spraying her window.” | |
Hadil Alamily said in the past hour she saw “someone jump on fire from the top floor”. She had seen him flashing a light in an SOS pattern. | |
“He was screaming help, help, help but no one helped. He dashed a mattress out of the window. He was literally on fire and jumped.” | |
Neighbours shouting to a man still visible in a window at Grenfell Tower pic.twitter.com/oUh7HgD08i | |
This footage was tweeted in the last 15 minutes. | |
Fire has now totally consumed #GrenfellTower. @LondonFire doing absolutely heroic work in very tough circumstances. pic.twitter.com/TeL2MJeHH0 | |
This is really shocking. Eyewitnesses say some people were trapped. @abcnews pic.twitter.com/LrzVBeNVPf | |
4.41am BST | |
04:41 | |
This from Alice Ross, my colleague in London: “I can see a man in the window.” | |
Neighbours say they've recently been able to see and hear people screaming for help from Grenfell Tower. I can see a man in a window pic.twitter.com/6MekZlpLdG | |
Sky News is reporting that police have told onlookers who may know people inside the building to cover their mouths with a wet cloth and get out of the building as soon as they can, by any means possible. | |
This has been confirmed by another reporter. | |
Police on ground telling families trapped #LatimerRoad #Grenfell to cover faces w/ wet towels & try to get out. Don't wait for fire brigade | |
There is still no detail from authorities on the human impact of the blaze – even whether people are trapped – with the latest still that word from Metropolitan Police: “a number of people have been treated for a range of injuries”. | |
4.33am BST | |
04:33 | |
What we know so far | |
A huge fire has engulfed a tower block in West London. | |
The fire broke out shortly before 1am on Wednesday at Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road near Notting Hill. | |
The tower is at least 24 storeys high and contains 120 apartments. | |
200 firefighters have been tackling the blaze with 40 engines. | |
A number of people have been treated for a range of injuries according to the fire brigade | |
There have been multiple reports of people trapped in the blaze. These have not been confirmed by police or the fire brigade. | |
Streets around the tower have been sealed off and residents in ther houses evacuated. | |
London Fire Brigade say there is no known cause at the moment for the blaze. | |
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has declared the fire a “major incident”. | |
This news story will be updated with developments, in addition to this rolling coverage. | |
4.31am BST | |
04:31 | |
Claire Phipps | |
There has been no confirmation yet if anyone has been killed in the Grenfell Tower fire, although police have said “a number of people” are being treated for various injuries. | |
To date, London’s worst tower block fire took place in Camberwell, south London, in July 2009. Six people – three women and three children – were killed when fire swept through the 14-storey Lakanal House. At least 20 people were injured. | |
Earlier this year, Southwark council was fined £570,000 after admitting it had breached a number of fire safety regulations. | |
All local authorities were ordered to check the safety of high-rise blocks in the wake of the Lakanal House tragedy, after firefighters expressed shock at the speed at which the flames engulfed the building. | |
4.27am BST | |
04:27 | |
Rachael Venables, an LBC reporter, has tweeted video of emergency services on the roads surrounding the Grenfell Tower. | |
Riot police and paramedics lining the roads around the 27-storey block of flats in Shepherds Bush, completely engulfed in flames @LBC pic.twitter.com/ayKYc92naX | |
Ashish Joshi, a senior correspondent for Sky News UK, has said the police cordon extends several blocks back from the blaze and is manned by “hundreds” of officers. “There isn’t any panic, people are just looking at what is happening with a degree of disbelief. | |
“The tower bloke is aflame, the smoke is rising, there are people who have escaped with their lives who are looking back on the tower and knowing that everyone they have has been destroyed. | |
“It’s a terrible, terrible situation.” | |
Another shot from George Clarke and an onlooker. | |
They've managed to put some of it out now. #GrenFellTower #GrenfellTowerFire #london #fire #kensington pic.twitter.com/ePLJgTPVJ8 | |
Updated | |
at 4.28am BST | |
4.20am BST | 4.20am BST |
04:20 | 04:20 |
Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, has tweeted urging people to follow London Fire Brigade on Twitter for updates. | Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, has tweeted urging people to follow London Fire Brigade on Twitter for updates. |
Major incident declared at Grenfell Tower in Kensington. 40 fire engines & 200 firefighters at the scene - follow @LondonFire for updates. | Major incident declared at Grenfell Tower in Kensington. 40 fire engines & 200 firefighters at the scene - follow @LondonFire for updates. |
4.16am BST | 4.16am BST |
04:16 | 04:16 |
George Clarke, the host of the Channel 4 show Amazing Spaces who earlier spoke to Radio 5 Live, has posted this on Instagram. | George Clarke, the host of the Channel 4 show Amazing Spaces who earlier spoke to Radio 5 Live, has posted this on Instagram. |
4.14am BST | 4.14am BST |
04:14 | 04:14 |
Alice Ross, my colleague in London, is near the scene and reports that the building is “completely ablaze” as debris continues to fall form the floors. | Alice Ross, my colleague in London, is near the scene and reports that the building is “completely ablaze” as debris continues to fall form the floors. |
Grenfell Tower in White City is completely ablaze. Chunks of flaming debris can be seen falling from the upper floors pic.twitter.com/X8clZnufdY | Grenfell Tower in White City is completely ablaze. Chunks of flaming debris can be seen falling from the upper floors pic.twitter.com/X8clZnufdY |
4.12am BST | 4.12am BST |
04:12 | 04:12 |
The sun is starting to dawn on west London, where it has just gone 4am. Fabio Bebber is continuing to tweet images from the scene – this one was posted within the last 10 minutes. | The sun is starting to dawn on west London, where it has just gone 4am. Fabio Bebber is continuing to tweet images from the scene – this one was posted within the last 10 minutes. |
We can hear fire brigade replying to people who are still trapped #grenfelltower pic.twitter.com/iWG76cb4RM | We can hear fire brigade replying to people who are still trapped #grenfelltower pic.twitter.com/iWG76cb4RM |
It is easy to see how the fire spread from one side of the tower in the hours since emergency services were called at around 1am – compare the above image to one taken by Bebber three hours ago. | It is easy to see how the fire spread from one side of the tower in the hours since emergency services were called at around 1am – compare the above image to one taken by Bebber three hours ago. |
Fire consuming Grenfell Tower. People screaming for their lives. Horrible #London #GrenfellTower pic.twitter.com/hhvfNNuq1C | Fire consuming Grenfell Tower. People screaming for their lives. Horrible #London #GrenfellTower pic.twitter.com/hhvfNNuq1C |
4.09am BST | 4.09am BST |
04:09 | 04:09 |
Where is the Grenfell Tower? | Where is the Grenfell Tower? |
4.08am BST | 4.08am BST |
04:08 | 04:08 |
Fire Brigade: the cause of the fire is not yet known | Fire Brigade: the cause of the fire is not yet known |
The LFB has posted an update on Facebook: | The LFB has posted an update on Facebook: |
Forty fire engines and over 200 firefighters and officers have been called to a tower block fire on the Lancaster West estate in north Kensington this morning. | Forty fire engines and over 200 firefighters and officers have been called to a tower block fire on the Lancaster West estate in north Kensington this morning. |
The Brigade has received multiple calls. The fire is from the second floor to the top floor of the 27 floor building. | The Brigade has received multiple calls. The fire is from the second floor to the top floor of the 27 floor building. |
Assistant Commissioner Dan Daly said: “Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire. This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.” | Assistant Commissioner Dan Daly said: “Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire. This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.” |
The Brigade was called at 0054 and is still at the scene. Fire crews from North Kensington, Kensington, Hammersmith and Paddington and from surrounding fire stations are in attendance. | The Brigade was called at 0054 and is still at the scene. Fire crews from North Kensington, Kensington, Hammersmith and Paddington and from surrounding fire stations are in attendance. |
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage. | The cause of the fire is not known at this stage. |
Firefighters working hard to bring fire under control on Lancaster West Estate #NorthKensington https://t.co/Gy6gUYc4ML pic.twitter.com/ptd6dOUTE7 | Firefighters working hard to bring fire under control on Lancaster West Estate #NorthKensington https://t.co/Gy6gUYc4ML pic.twitter.com/ptd6dOUTE7 |
4.06am BST | 4.06am BST |
04:06 | 04:06 |
A nearby resident, named as Sofia, also told Radio 5: | A nearby resident, named as Sofia, also told Radio 5: |
“I kept hearing what I thought were loud banging sounds … I looked out of the window and said Grenfell Tower was burning down.” | “I kept hearing what I thought were loud banging sounds … I looked out of the window and said Grenfell Tower was burning down.” |
She said, as other eyewitnesses have done, said the fire began one side but quickly spread across the whole building. | She said, as other eyewitnesses have done, said the fire began one side but quickly spread across the whole building. |
“I have not seen a survivor, someone pulled out of the building and being treated by an ambulance. I think it confirms my worst fear that people are dying in this building.” | “I have not seen a survivor, someone pulled out of the building and being treated by an ambulance. I think it confirms my worst fear that people are dying in this building.” |
She said the noises began around 1.15am, and the fire had spread very rapidly. | She said the noises began around 1.15am, and the fire had spread very rapidly. |
“I heard loads of young girls crying out for help … I can’t see any ladders extending into the building … I can hear people screaming for help and they are dying.” | “I heard loads of young girls crying out for help … I can’t see any ladders extending into the building … I can hear people screaming for help and they are dying.” |
But another eyewitness said he had seen groups of people, “at least three families”, leaving the building at different exits, but added that he had heard that staircases inside were now on fire. | But another eyewitness said he had seen groups of people, “at least three families”, leaving the building at different exits, but added that he had heard that staircases inside were now on fire. |
4.05am BST | 4.05am BST |
04:05 | 04:05 |
One eyewitness, Victoria Goldsmith, has told Sky News: | One eyewitness, Victoria Goldsmith, has told Sky News: |
“The whole building seems to be engulfed now. It’s spread all the way to the top. I heard it at about 1am and I ran out to see if I could help, and there were already people there. | “The whole building seems to be engulfed now. It’s spread all the way to the top. I heard it at about 1am and I ran out to see if I could help, and there were already people there. |
“There was literally two people trapped at the top and they had mobile phones and they had the lights trying to flash them and signal people... They couldn’t get to them ... fire kept going and the lights went out. “ | “There was literally two people trapped at the top and they had mobile phones and they had the lights trying to flash them and signal people... They couldn’t get to them ... fire kept going and the lights went out. “ |
“They are trying to get it under control. It’s pretty horrendous.” | “They are trying to get it under control. It’s pretty horrendous.” |