London fire as it happened: 12 residents confirmed dead and more fatalities expected after day of horror
Witnesses describe 'terrifying' scenes
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Your support makes all the difference.A huge fire has engulfed a large block of flats in London, killing at least a dozen people.
Hundreds of firefighters were sent to 24-storey Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, as large plumes of smoke billowed above the capital after the blaze broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Witnesses spoke of "terrifying" scenes, with some residents suggesting they heard no alarm go off when the fire began. At least 75 people are being treated at six hospitals across the capital.
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Ambulances near the scene of the fire in Latimer Road in west London. More than 50 people have been taken to five hospitals after the blaze broke out in a block of flats (Reuters)
The burnt facade of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington (Reuters)
Over 200 firefighters are attending the fire, with 40 vehicles in total, including 14 fire rescue vehicles, said the Fire Commissioner's press office.
The first fire crews were on the scene within six minutes after the first call at 0.54am.
Firefighters reportedly managed to bring trapped residents to safety from even the top floor of the 24-storey block.
A police officer helps to evacuate a local resident from close to the scene (Reuters)
If you can help with clothes, food, blankets, toiletries etc please donate to: St Clements Church, 95 Sirdar Rd, W11 4EQ #GrenfellTower
Anyone concerned about loved ones who may have been caught up in the fire should contact the Metropolitan Police's casualty bureau on 0800 0961 233 or 0207 158 0197.Police have said if you do not get through immediately, please try again.
London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said there had been a “number of fatalities” but could not say how many due to the size and complexity of the building.
Local residents told The Independent they were woken up by sounds of shouting around one o'clock this morning.
Many described getting dressed and gathering their belongings before leaving their houses.
Bob Stone, 63, said he ran out of his flat in the early hours of the morning to see sparks coming from the building and around 40 people waving from the windows.
"I thought they've got to get outside, that ain't right," he said. "I didn't see how many got out in the end."
Taglub Obaid, 12, described being woken up by people "shouting and screaming" outside.
He said the tower block was "completely in flames" and said it had been a "terrifying experience".
Several people said they heard screams coming from people inside the tower block as the blaze engulfed the building.
One 12-year-old boy living nearby said he was woken by people "shouting and screaming" outside and saw #GrenfellTower "completely in flames"
Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group, said the Government has resisted calls to install sprinkler systems in high-rise blocks in the wake of the Lakanal House tragedy.
Mr Fitzpatrick, who was a firefighter for 20 years, told LBC: “We've been pressing for fire sprinkler systems in buildings where we think it's appropriate - certainly over a height level and in places where there is vulnerability, care homes and in schools - and Government has been resisting that for some time.”
But the MP for Poplar and Limehouse added: “There's obviously a huge number of questions going to have to be asked about what happened to Latimer Road but it's very early in the situation.
“It's a bit early to start pointing fingers, I would have thought.”
A newsletter sent to Grenfell Tower residents in 2014 containing fire safety advice told people to stay in their flats unless told otherwise, according to The Guardian.The newsletter reportedly said: “Our longstanding ‘stay put’ policy stays in force until you are told otherwise. This means that (unless there is a fire in your flat or in the hallway outside your flat) you should stay inside your flat. “This is because Grenfell was designed according to rigorous fire safety standards. Also, the new front doors for each flat can withstand a fire for up to 30 minutes, which gives plenty of time for the fire brigade to arrive.”
Firefighters stand amid debris in a children's playground near Grenfell Tower, a block of flats severely damaged by a serious fire in north Kensington, west London (Reuters)