A deadly overnight fire raced through a 24-story apartment tower in London on Wednesday, killing at least six people and injuring 74 others. One desperate woman threw a baby out of a high window and a man on the ground managed to catch the child, a witness said.
Flames from the inferno lit up the night and black smoke spewed from the windows of the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington where more than 200 firefighters battled the blaze. A plume of smoke stretched for miles (kilometres) across the sky after dawn, revealing the blackened, flame-licked wreckage of the building, which was still burning over 12 hours later.
B次元官网网址淭his is an unprecedented incident,B次元官网网址� Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton told reporters. B次元官网网址淚n my 29 years of being a firefighter I have never, ever seen anything of this scale.B次元官网网址�
She told reporters she feared firefighters would find more victims still inside the building.
Crews are still working tirelessly to extinguish the fire & are systematically searching the building
B次元官网网址� London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire)
People in apartments enveloped by the quickly advancing flames and thick smoke banged on windows and screamed for help to those watching down below, witnesses and survivors said. One resident said the fire alarm did not go off.
Police commander Stuart Cundy gave the death toll but added the figure was likely to rise B次元官网网址渄uring what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days.B次元官网网址�
Paul Woodrow, head of operations for the London Ambulance Service, said 20 of the injured were in critical condition.
The London Fire Brigade received the first reports of the fire at 12:54 a.m. and the first engines arrived within six minutes, Cotton said.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the blaze, but angry residents said they had warned local authorities about fire issues at Grenfell Tower. The public housing block of 120 apartments was built in 1974 and recently upgraded at a cost of 8.6 million pounds ($11 million), with work finishing in May 2016, according to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Samira Lamrani, a witness, said a woman dropped a baby from a window on the ninth or 10th floor to people on the sidewalk.
B次元官网网址淧eople were starting to appear at the windows, frantically banging and screaming,B次元官网网址� Lamrani said, adding the woman gestured that she wanted to drop a baby.
B次元官网网址淎 gentleman ran forward and managed to grab the baby,B次元官网网址� Lamrani told BritainB次元官网网址檚 Press Association news agency.
B次元官网网址淭he flames, I have never seen anything like it, it just reminded me of 9-11,B次元官网网址� said Muna Ali, 45. B次元官网网址淭he fire started on the upper floors B次元官网网址� oh my goodness, it spread so quickly. It had completely spread within half an hour.B次元官网网址�
Other witnesses described a white, polystyrene-type material falling like snow from the building as it burned. Some feared the charred tower block might collapse but a structural engineer said the building was not in danger, London Fire Brigade said, adding B次元官网网址渋t is safe for our crews to be in there.B次元官网网址�
Ruks Mamudu, 69, escaped from her first floor apartment wearing only her purple pyjamas and bathrobe. She and her grandson sat outside the building and watched people trapped on higher floors cry desperately for help.
B次元官网网址淚 sat there watching my house burn down and watching people cry for help who couldnB次元官网网址檛 come down,B次元官网网址� she said.
People at the scene spoke of being unable to reach friends and family inside. Others said they could see people inside using flashlights and mobile phones to try to signal for help from higher floors.
Nassima Boutrig, who lives opposite the building, said she was awakened by sirens and smoke so thick that it filled her home as well.
B次元官网网址淲e saw the people screaming,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎 lot of people said B次元官网网址楬elp! Help! Help!B次元官网网址� The fire brigade could only help downstairs. It was fire up, up, up. They couldnB次元官网网址檛 stop the fire.B次元官网网址�
The disaster occurred 10 days after a terror attack at LondonB次元官网网址檚 Borough Market. Some residents initially feared the fire was also terror-related, though authorities discounted that possibility.
Edward Daffarn, a 55-year-old who lived on the buildingB次元官网网址檚 16th floor, said the fire alarm didnB次元官网网址檛 ring. Daffarn said residents had complained for years to London City Council about building safety, to no avail.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 lucky to be alive. A neighbourB次元官网网址檚 smoke alarm went off and another neighbour phoned and told me to get out,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 consider this mass murder.B次元官网网址�
The Grenfell Action Group, a community organization formed to oppose a nearby redevelopment project, has been warning about the risk of fire at Grenfell Tower since 2013. The group has raised concerns about testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment and blocked emergency access to the site.
B次元官网网址淎ll our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time,B次元官网网址� the group said in a blog after the fire broke out.
A July 2014 newsletter for residents said the building was designed B次元官网网址渁ccording to rigorous fire safety standardsB次元官网网址� and recommended that in case of a fire residents should stay inside their apartments.
The British company that carried out the towerB次元官网网址檚 2016 refurbishment, Rydon, said in a statement its work B次元官网网址渕et all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards.B次元官网网址�
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said many questions now need to be answered about tower blocks around the city.
B次元官网网址淭here will be a great many questions over the coming days as to the cause of this tragedy and I want to reassure Londoners that we will get all the answers,B次元官网网址� Khan said.
Prime Minister Theresa MayB次元官网网址檚 Downing Street office said she was B次元官网网址渄eeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower and is being kept constantly updated on the situation.B次元官网网址�
