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| Fire Engulfs Apartment Tower in London | Fire Engulfs Apartment Tower in London |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — More than 200 firefighters from all over London were struggling to contain a major fire at a high-rise apartment building in the west of the city early Wednesday, with fears that people are trapped inside the burning building. | |
| According to the London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police, the fire broke out around 1:16 a.m. and quickly engulfed the building, Grenfell Tower, in North Kensington. | |
| The London Fire Brigade said the flames had spread from the second floor to the top floor of the 27-story building, which contains some 120 apartments. Ambulances were sent to the scene. The police said that “a number of people being treated for a range of injuries” and that “residents continue to be evacuated.” | |
| The cause of the fire is unknown at this stage, the Fire Brigade said. | |
| A residents’ association, the Grenfell Action Group, has regularly complained in its newsletter of fire hazards in the building and what it called inattention by the landlord. | |
| Dan Daly, an assistant fire commissioner, 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.” | Dan Daly, an assistant fire commissioner, 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.” |
| Firefighters on the ground trained hoses on the building. | |
| At dawn, the blaze still burned brightly against the sky, with flames especially hot in the middle section. Ashes filled with air, and one could hear small explosions as helicopters flew overhead. | |
| Photos and videos posted on social media earlier showed flames shooting from one side of the building. | |
| At least 40 fire engines were at the scene. | |
| Witnesses said they could see lights — thought to be flashlights — blinking at the top of the block of apartments. | Witnesses said they could see lights — thought to be flashlights — blinking at the top of the block of apartments. |
| George Clarke, an architect and television personality, who said he was 100 yards away, told the BBC: “I’m getting covered in ash. That’s how bad it is.” | George Clarke, an architect and television personality, who said he was 100 yards away, told the BBC: “I’m getting covered in ash. That’s how bad it is.” |
| He continued: “It’s so heartbreaking. I’ve seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can’t get out.” | He continued: “It’s so heartbreaking. I’ve seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can’t get out.” |
| Tim Downey, another witness, told the BBC that part of the building was “completely burned away.” | Tim Downey, another witness, told the BBC that part of the building was “completely burned away.” |
| He said: “It looks very bad, very very bad. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s just such a big fire. The whole building is just crumbling. It’s just billowing black smoke.” | He said: “It looks very bad, very very bad. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s just such a big fire. The whole building is just crumbling. It’s just billowing black smoke.” |