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London fire: What we know so far about Grenfell Tower London fire: What happened at Grenfell Tower?
(8 days later)
At least 79 people are missing and presumed dead after a huge fire engulfed a west London tower block in the early hours of Wednesday. Scores of people died after a huge fire engulfed Grenfell Tower, a west London residential tower block, in the early hours of Wednesday, 14 June.
What happened?What happened?
The fire was reported at the 24-storey block, Grenfell Tower, in North Kensington, 00:54 BST on Wednesday. The fire was reported at the 24-storey block in North Kensington at 00:54 BST (23:54 GMT), leading to 40 fire engines and more than 200 firefighters tackling the blaze.
Forty fire engines and more than 200 firefighters went to tackle the blaze. It took until 01:14 BST the following day to get it under control, with the fire affecting most floors of the building and destroying 151 homes, both in the tower and surrounding areas.
The fire affected all floors of the building, from the second floor up. The Metropolitan Police says it will consider manslaughter, health and safety and fire safety charges.
Firefighters worked with the gas authority to isolate a ruptured gas main in the block. London tower block fire: In pictures
Once it was completed, they were able to extinguish the fire with the help of a 40-metre aerial appliance. How are fires fought in high-rise blocks?
The blaze was under control by 01:14 BST on Thursday.
How many victims are there?How many victims are there?
A total of 79 people are either dead or missing presumed dead, police said. Police say that while 80 people are currently presumed to have died, the final toll will not be known until at least the end of the year.
The names of five victims have been confirmed by police. Eighteen people have been formally identified by the coroner, but not all names have been released.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said there was "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify everybody". Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy has said there is "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify everybody".
Firefighters rescued 65 people from the building, according to the London Fire Brigade. Others made their own way out.
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said a "number" of firefighters had suffered minor injuries.
Notting Dale ward councillor Judith Blakeman, who lives across the road from the block, said between 400 and 600 people lived in the building.Notting Dale ward councillor Judith Blakeman, who lives across the road from the block, said between 400 and 600 people lived in the building.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said fire crews only managed to reach the 12th floor at the height of the fire.London Mayor Sadiq Khan said fire crews only managed to reach the 12th floor at the height of the fire.
There have been claims from within the local community - and by celebrities such as Lily Allen and rapper Akala - that the true death toll is being suppressed by the media.
However, the police say while a full visual search of every flat on every floor has been completed, the "utter devastation" inside the building is making a full forensic search difficult.
According to the Metropolitan Police's Major Incident Procedure Manual, "there should be no speculation on fatality figures and the police should only confirm the number of dead after they have a true and accurate picture".
What caused the fire?What caused the fire?
It is not yet known what caused the fire. The fire started in a Hotpoint fridge freezer, but police said it was not started deliberately.
Footage has shown the fire spreading up one side of the building externally, before engulfing the entire block.Footage has shown the fire spreading up one side of the building externally, before engulfing the entire block.
Fire safety expert Elvin Edwards described it as a "chimney effect", adding that the wind would have fanned the flames. Downing Street ordered immediate testing of the fridge freezer that was involved.
The cladding - installed on the tower in a recent renovation - has come under scrutiny, with experts saying a more fire resistant type could have been used. Owners of a white Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP or graphite fridge freezer model number FF175BG should ring 0800 316 3826 or visit the Hotpoint website.
Cladding can create cavities which in some cases can cause the chimney effect, drawing flames up the cavity if there are no fire barriers. What about the cladding?
The Department for Communities and Local Government said composite aluminium panels with a polyethylene core should not be used as cladding on buildings over 18m high. The cladding - installed on Grenfell Tower in a recent renovation - has come under scrutiny, with experts saying a more fire-resistant type could have been used.
Both the cladding and insulation on the outside of the building failed all preliminary tests by the police. But the insulation samples burned more quickly than the cladding tiles.
Documents obtained by the BBC suggest the cladding fitted during its refurbishment was changed to a cheaper version.
They show the zinc cladding originally proposed was replaced with an aluminium type, which was less fire resistant, saving nearly £300,000.
Cladding can create cavities which in some cases can cause a chimney effect, drawing flames up the cavity if there are no fire barriers.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said composite aluminium panels with a polyethylene core should not be used as cladding on buildings over 18m high.
Engineering and manufacturing company Arconic later said one of its products, Reynobond PE (polyethylene) - an aluminium composite material - was "used as one component in the overall cladding system" of Grenfell Tower.Engineering and manufacturing company Arconic later said one of its products, Reynobond PE (polyethylene) - an aluminium composite material - was "used as one component in the overall cladding system" of Grenfell Tower.
The BBC has established that Reynobond PE was issued a certificate in the UK in 1997, allowing it to be used on high-rise buildings.
An inquiry into whether it did in fact meet fire safety regulations is due to be published by the weekend.
Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union, said something had clearly gone badly wrong with fire prevention procedures at the building.
How are fires fought in high-rise blocks?
Where is the tower block?
Grenfell Tower is on Latimer Road, in west London.
It is part of the Lancaster West Estate, a social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes, in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
It is in a neighbourhood ranked among the most deprived 10% in England.
The tower block is near Westfield shopping centre in White City and the A40 - a major route for traffic entering and leaving the west of London.
A tale of two tower blocks
What do we know about Grenfell Tower?What do we know about Grenfell Tower?
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 by Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council.
An £8.6m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction in May last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.An £8.6m refurbishment - which was part of a wider transformation of the estate - was completed by Rydon Construction in May last year. Work included new exterior cladding, replacement windows and a communal heating system.
There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating seven additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.There was also extensive remodelling of the bottom four floors, creating seven additional homes, and improvements to communal facilities.
Plans for the development show how the building was modified and the single stairway.Plans for the development show how the building was modified and the single stairway.
Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire", adding that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health & safety standards". Rydon said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire", adding that the work met "all required building regulations".
It later issued a new statement, removing the previous mention of the building meeting fire regulation standards, instead saying the project met "all required building regulations".
The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.The tower is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.
In its latest statement, it offered its "sincere and heartfelt condolences" to those affected by the "devastating event" at Grenfell Tower. Had there been safety concerns about the tower?
It said its immediate concern and focus was working with the council to assist the residents of the tower block and those affected by the tragedy.
How safe was the tower block?
The local Grenfell Action Group had claimed, before and during the refurbishment, that the block constituted a fire risk and residents had warned that access to the site for emergency vehicles was "severely restricted".The local Grenfell Action Group had claimed, before and during the refurbishment, that the block constituted a fire risk and residents had warned that access to the site for emergency vehicles was "severely restricted".
In February 2013 residents warned fire safety equipment, including fire extinguishers, had not been tested for 12 months.In February 2013 residents warned fire safety equipment, including fire extinguishers, had not been tested for 12 months.
KCTMO said it was aware that concerns had been raised historically by residents and they would form part of its investigations.KCTMO said it was aware that concerns had been raised historically by residents and they would form part of its investigations.
The tower block was given a medium fire risk rating - defined as a normal fire risk - in 2016 following completion of the refurbishment by the London Fire Brigade and Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council. The tower block was given a medium fire risk rating - defined as a normal fire risk - in 2016 following completion of the refurbishment by the London Fire Brigade and Kensington and Chelsea Council.
The council insists the block has been regularly inspected, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan said safety and maintenance issues would have to be looked at.The council insists the block has been regularly inspected, but London Mayor Sadiq Khan said safety and maintenance issues would have to be looked at.
Concerns raised about Grenfell Tower 'for years'
Geoff Wilkinson, a fire and building inspector, told the BBC that the Grenfell Tower block "didn't perform in the way you'd expect a building to perform" once it caught fire as "you'd expect it to be contained to an individual apartment".
"Something has gone dramatically wrong here," he said.
The fire safety advice for Grenfell Tower residents was to "stay put" - unless the fire was affecting their own flat.The fire safety advice for Grenfell Tower residents was to "stay put" - unless the fire was affecting their own flat.
David Sibert, Fire Brigade Union fire safety expert, said: "The principle that tower blocks are built on is that every flat is a fire-resisting box - every flat is completely surrounded by fire-resisting construction from the rest of the building. This is because tower block flats are built as a fire-resistant box, completely surrounded by fire-resisting construction from the rest of the building.
"So you should be able to set fire to your own flat and leave it to completely burn out and it won't affect anybody else in the building." Concerns raised about Grenfell Tower 'for years'
Six questions for the investigation
What did witnesses say?What did witnesses say?
Eyewitnesses said they saw people trapped inside the burning building screaming for help, and shouting for their children to be saved.Eyewitnesses said they saw people trapped inside the burning building screaming for help, and shouting for their children to be saved.
Some said they saw lights - thought to be mobile phones or torches - flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows - some holding children.Some said they saw lights - thought to be mobile phones or torches - flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows - some holding children.
Eyewitness Jody Martin said: "I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window... hearing screams."Eyewitness Jody Martin said: "I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window... hearing screams."
Tiago Etienne, 17, saw small children being thrown out of the building from as high as the 15th floor.Tiago Etienne, 17, saw small children being thrown out of the building from as high as the 15th floor.
Paul Munakr, who lives on the seventh floor, managed to escape. But he said he was alerted to the fire not by fire alarms but by people on the street below, shouting "don't jump, don't jump". Christos Fairbairn, 41, a resident on the 15th floor, told the BBC how he managed to brave the toxic smoke and make his way out of the burning building.
Grenfall Tower witnesses recall harrowing night What has happened since the fire?
How people are helping Dozens of people stormed Kensington and Chelsea Town Hall demanding more support for the fire's survivors.
Churches, community centres and football clubs have been inundated with donations of clothes and toiletries for those affected - many of who were forced to escape the burning building in their night clothes. Prime Minister Theresa May came in for criticism over her reaction to the Grenfell Tower fire, and she told the House of Commons that the official response had "not been good enough".
More than £1m has been raised to help those affected by the fire, with more than 60 tonnes of donations collected by one local mosque. She also pledged £5m for clothes, food and emergency supplies but was still booed when she paid a visit to the area.
The majority of the centres have requested locals hold off sending down any more donations until further requests are made. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for empty flats in North Kensington to be "requisitioned if necessary" for those left homeless by the fire.
A number of individuals have also reached out via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to offer accommodation and transport help. Kensington and Chelsea council's chief executive resigned amid criticism over the borough's response.
Read more about what you can do to help The council's leader Nick Paget-Brown also resigned following continued criticism of the council's handling of the tragedy.
On 20 June, Kensington and Chelsea Council said £333,680 had been distributed to 314 people affected by the attack. It added that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) was providing a one-off £5,000 payment to affected households, and 40 households had received this payment. The chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, the council's arms-length body which manages the tower, has also stepped down to "concentrate on assisting with the investigation and inquiry".
Some households are being temporarily housed in hotels and the council said in a statement: "We have endeavoured to keep accommodation as local as possible." A retired judge, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, has been appointed to head an inquiry into the fire. He has said the probe could be limited to the cause, how it spread, and preventing a future blaze.
The Queen and Prince William also visited those volunteers helping those affected.
More than £1m has been raised to help those affected by the fire, and a single released by more than 50 music artists reached number one, two days after being released.
On 20 June, Kensington and Chelsea Council said £333,680 had been distributed to 314 people affected by the attack. It added that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) was providing a one-off £5,000 payment to affected households, and 40 had received this payment.
Some people are being temporarily housed in hotels and the government announced that 68 social housing flats in Kensington Row, about 1.5 miles away from Grenfell Tower, would be made available to survivors.
What about other tower blocks?
The government announced plans to carry out tests on 600 buildings around the country, and so far at least 149 of them have failed.
The tests currently being conducted focus on the filler - the core of the cladding panel - to check how combustible it is.
Residents were evacuated from four blocks on the Chalcots Estate in Swiss Cottage, north London, with five buildings failing cladding tests. Camden Council said it was forced to ask residents to leave because not only did the buildings fail external cladding fire safety tests, they also had multiple other fire safety failures.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has also said safety checks are urgently needed in hospitals, offices and private buildings.
NHS England is in contact with about 200 health trusts to check cladding on hospitals, he added.
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