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Simon Lay, UK representative for the Council on Tall Buildings, says it's really too early to judge what led to such a devastating fire, but there are "usually a combination of factors involved".

On the subject of cladding, which some suggest may have aided the fire's spread, Mr Lay says cladding systems may look simple, but they're actually “incredibly complicated”.

He says panels like the ones used at Grenfell are very common around the world, and “they can be designed to be safe” or they can contribute to risks - "it comes down to the details" of each building.

Mr Lay says it's "normal practice" to have only one staircase and entrance in a building like this and that “hasn’t shown any significant impact on fire safety” elsewhere.

And he says that until very recently, it was the norm to build tall buildings without sprinklers.

By way of reassurance, Mr Lay says tall buildings are generally some of the safest places to live because "lots of time and attention is spent on designing them".

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Wayne Brown, deputy assistant chief of the London Fire Brigade, says crews are still working hard to damp down any remaining pockets of fire.

They are also going through the building systematically looking for clues as to what may have caused the fire, he tells the BBC.

Drones are being used, he adds, to help crews get "real-time footage of what's going on within the building" - and to avoid the problems caused by the down draft of a helicopter.

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MP Andy Slaughter, from Hammersmith, says the blaze at the Grenfell Tower is a "national tragedy on a huge scale".

Last year, a fire in a tower block in Shepherd's Bush caused damage across five floors, but did not result in fatalities.

Now, he says, an investigation needs to establish if there are problems with the construction or refurbishment of those buildings.

Radio 4 PM

Peter Apps, from Inside Housing magazine, investigated a fire five months ago which had similarities to that in the Grenfell Tower block.

He discovered that a London Fire Brigade report concluded "flammable material" on the outside of the block was probably "the most likely cause of the fire".

This report was never published, and Mr Apps said he couldn't understand why.

People have been doing their best to help the victims of the Grenfell tower fire in West London.

Image source, Getty Images

The London mayor says he has held talks this afternoon with government ministers, including the secretary of state for communities and local government.

Residents and neighbours of Grenfell Tower in west London describe what happened during the fire that has killed at least 12 people.

Rydon, the company that carried out the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, has issued a new statement on the blaze in the last hour or so, in which a previous mention of the building meeting all fire regulation standards has been removed.

Its new statement says:

Before, the company statement said:

Rydon says it is working with authorities and emergency services and fully supports the investigations into the cause of the fire.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tells the BBC the effort made by the community to help those affected by the fire has been "extraordinary".

He also praises emergency service workers whom he's been spending time with. There was "exhaustion written across their faces", but they showed great "courage", he says.

There's been "an outpouring of love and generosity", the archbishop adds.

Radio 4 PM

Arnold Tarling is a chartered surveyor who specialises in fire protection. He says he hosted a talk anticipating such an event due to poor building regulations.

"Part of my talk was stating that we will have a cladding-related fire, resulting in multiple deaths...if building regulations are not amended," Mr Tarling told Radio 4's PM.

"All buildings built with flammable materials on the external cladding should immediately be put under a fire warden's scheme," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

How did the fire start? Why did it spread so quickly? Did a renovation in 2016 affect the building's safety? Read our full story.

Radio 4 PM

Emergency services attending the fire at Grenfell tower block say 12 people are now confirmed to have died.

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council says it is providing "emergency accommodation" to those affected.

"Our immediate priority is to accommodate the residents of Grenfell Tower, families with young children, the elderly and the vulnerable," it said on Twitter.

"We’ve placed 44 households so far and housing officers will be working overnight to provide support."

A "rest centre" has been set up at Westway Sports Centre, at W10 6RP in west London, for those unable to return to their homes.

Displaced residents should call 020 7361 3008.

You can find more information here, external

Following the fatal tower block blaze in London, people living in high-rise buildings are given safety advice.

Image source, Getty

More from Nick Hurd, policing and fire minister, who said officials would carry out checks in buildings undergoing refurbishments similar to those carried out at the Grenfell Tower.

He said authorities discussed "a process whereby we seek to identify towers that might be in a similar process of refurbishment, run a system of checks and inspections, so that we can as quickly as possible give reassurance to people".

Mr Hurd added: "This isn't an issue of resources. Everyone I've spoken to on the front line, the fire, the police or the ambulance services, resources have not been the issue."

He also said there would be "an intensive process to really understand what happened here and that any lessons that need to be learnt are learnt so that we don't go through this experience again".