The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry have made a donation to the Evening Standard's emergency appeal for the Dispossessed Fund.

Money raised will go to help victims of the Grenfell Tower fire.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: "The tragedy at Grenfell Tower has left a number of local people in need of urgent assistance.

"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are pleased the Evening Standard's Dispossessed Fund has immediately swung into action.

"As residents of the local area they are keen to offer their immediate support."

Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived at the Grenfell Tower site, and is now talking to firefighters there.

Image source, AFP/Getty

BBC Radio 5 live

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A retired firefighter named Jason has phoned in to BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss the conditions they face, especially during large domestic fires.

He says they work in temperatures of 600 degrees, where "your kit will absorb the heat, and then suddenly like a light switch it will be too hot".

He says the fire crews are "performing like top athletes," sucking in minimal air and working their hardest.

For the team leader, the stress is considerable. This individual has to direct the rest of the crew round an unknown building filled with smoke, while calculating how far they have got into the job, and whether they have enough air to get out.

"It’s highly stressful and when you come out you’re gasping for air," he says.

Jason says that 1 in 3 firefighters suffer from PTSD, which he eventually retired with. He says his condition flared up recently after the Manchester terror attack, because like that situation, his traumatic event also involved injury to a child.

Asked why they do the job, he replied: "The best thing about the job is making a difference. When you can go in and say “I’ve trained for this, I can do this. I’ll come and get you. I can get you out the safest way possible."

Radio listeners are calling him a credit to his profession.

Norman Smith
Assistant political editor

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Labour is calling for an inquiry into fire safety in tower blocks to be completed by the summer.

The party is also demanding the immediate implementation of improved safety rules proposed in 2013 but never implemented.

This would include the installation of sprinklers in high risk flats. It would also include a review of building regulations -to include the safety of cladding.

It would also guarantee better emergency advice and information for residents. Labour said the inquiry should be led by a cabinet minister and accountable to parliament.

Labour estimated sprinklers would cost around £1,000 a flat to install.

Yesterday Jeremy Corbyn demanded a minister answer questions in Parliament today on the tragedy.

The Commons authorities are not aware of any request for such an arrangement. The government has declined to respond publicly to Mr Corbyn's call. Mr Corbyn is expected to visit the site of the tower block later this morning.

Rory Walsh stayed up all night helping residents after the Grenfell Tower fire, before taking his English A-level the next morning.

The Queen has paid tribute to the generosity of volunteers, and offered her thoughts and prayers to the victim's families of yesterday's Grenfall Tower fire.

She said: "My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital.

"Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others.

"It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event."

Victoria Derbyshire

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One of the original architects of Grenfell Tower, which was built in 1974, said the speed of the fire was "incomprehensible".

Speaking to Victoria Derbyshire, he said: "We built a concrete building and concrete simply doesn't burn like that."

Several experts have claimed that cladding added to the building last year - made of alluminium composite materials (ACM) - caused the fire to spread so quickly.

The panels have been linked to several tower block fires, including the 63-storey Downtown Hotel in Dubai.

Harley Facades Ltd, which installed the cladding, has said: "At this time, we are not aware of any link between the fire and the exterior cladding to the tower."

More than 24 hours after the fire, brave tales from the community are emerging.

Polly Neate, chief executive of Women's Aid, tweeted how children living in the Grenfell Tower still turned up for their GCSE exams.

Singer Rita Ora was among those helping to sort donations at the Grenfell Tower last night. A fan posted this footage on Twitter.

Battersea Arts Centre is to host a fundraising evening for those affected by the blaze at Grenfell Tower next Monday.

The money raised from the comedy night - hosted by Daniel Kitson, and including Jeremy Hardy, Josie Long, Heydon Prowse, Mark Thomas and Imran Yusuf - will go to the Grenfell Tower Appeal, co-ordinated by the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation.

Battersea Arts Centre is no stranger to the effects of fire. A huge blaze ripped through the centre in March 2015.

Comedian Mark Thomas said: "Like every Londoner I am shocked, sad and angry about the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower. But it is not enough to feel these things, we need to support those in need. Organising a fundraiser is the least we can do to help our fellow Londoners."

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The prime minister will make a private visit to the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire, sources have told the BBC.

In a Downing Street statement yesterday she said she was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life".

BBC Radio 5 live

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The London Fire Brigade commissioner has said she was concerned that Grenfell Tower would collapse in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, Dany Cotton said: "We've all seen the horror stories of 9/11.

"Looking at the building ablaze in the early hours, I had genuine concerns [that the building could collapse]."

But she praised the fire crews at the scene and added "they didn't waver".

"They were going through there time and time again battling through the floors looking for people."

Nine fire offers suffered minor injuries which included: burns, smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

Image source, EPA

London Fire Brigade has issued a statement about the work being done at the tower.

It said that firefighters worked overnight with the gas authority to isolate a ruptured gas main in the block, subsequently putting out a fire using a 40 metre aerial appliance brought in from Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

About 60 firefighters and eight fire engines and other specialist resources are still at the tower block

Urban search and rescue teams will be working with local authority contractors to shore up the building to make it safe, so that more thorough work can begin inside.

BBC Radio 4

Pastor Derek Wilson is from the Tabernacle Christian Centre, one of the places inundated with donations for people who had lost everything.

He told Radio 4 the public's generosity has been overwhelming.

"Everything from mattresses to clothes, food - we're so overwhelmed that we have to be turning people and vans away now. We cannot cope with any more intake. I didn't get to bed until about 2am - people were coming to pick up clothing and food items."

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He has been trying to comfort those affected at this horrible time.

"What can you say? You give words of comfort and assurance that we are there for them. They are shocked, stunned, angry... we're really just supporting them at this time of grief.

"There is real anger. It could have been avoided. They want justice. Obviously people have died - loved ones have died. We're looking for answers."

He says the local authority must now step up to ensure the donations go where they're needed.

"Someone from the council needs to get the logistics working now, and contact all the centres to let us know what's happening."

BBC Radio 4

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Roy Wilsher, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, tells Radio 4 that fire crews in the Grenfell Tower were confronted by terrible scenes - and that the use of cladding must now be reviewed.

Addressing claims that a "chimney effect" spread the fire, he says: "It's very true that the building design and regulations for these types of building are to contain the fire in a single flat. That's what we base our firefighting on. Clearly, something's gone wrong in this case."

A firefighter of 35 years standing, he says those who went into the tower yesterday will never have confronted a scene like it.

"You turn the last corner and see something like that in front of you... it makes you go into almost automatic pilot," he says.

"The plan for this type of building is to fight fires from the inside, and you can see from the pictures that all the floors were alight so you'd have to work your way up the building. They reached the top floor some time yesterday, but it took them hours to get there."

He says sprinklers may or may not have helped in this case - if the fire spread up the outside, that could have been difficult for sprinklers to stop.

The senior firefighter says the National Fire Chiefs Council is checking "where these types of buildings might be around the country and what the advice may be".

He says the issue of re-cladding older buildings "certainly needs to be reconsidered".