Paul Kipulu has been handing out water to people left homeless by the fire - with enthusiastic support from his son, Frankie, aged three.

"There's nothing but love here, and I wanted to help," he says.

When the fire broke out, Paul says there was panic as he tried to work out which building was burning and whether his family was safe.

But he says he has come to help as he waits to find out about his friend.

"I don't know if he is one of the dead, one of those they haven't yet found, or one of those in hospital."

BBC Radio 5 live

Volunteers from the charity Islamic Relief UK are working at the scene, although the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will mean they cannot eat until sundown.

Councillor Judith Blakeman said there were about 140 flats in Grenfell Tower, including nine new ones built during the recent refurbishment. Other reports suggest about 120.

A plan of a typical storey in the building shows the single stairway, which many residents said hindered the evacuation process when the fire broke out.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has questioned the "facilities and resources" given to councils with tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Vaughan Huggins contacted the BBC to say he fitted fire doors at Grenfell Tower as a sub-contractor, back in 2012-13.

“In fact, for the very first fire door we fitted, a representative of the council came to inspect us doing it and was satisfied it met all the regulations - as was I.

“However, in the year I was there doing the work in the block, I did notice some things which worried me.

“I noticed that there were no fire breaks in the service lines and pipes that run from floor to floor.

“I did raise this and was told it was part of ongoing work that would be dealt with.

“But when I saw the news of the fire I was shocked."

BBC Radio 5 live

The former chair of Grenfell Tower Residents Association says he had warned the management and the council that "refurbishment work was incompetent."

David Collins told BBC Radio 5 live that numerous concerns were raised, including fears that firefighters would have reduced access and that water boxes had been fitted above fuse boxes.

• Six people have died, according to police, with the number expected to rise
• Seventy-four people have been treated in hospital
• It is unknown how many remain unaccounted for
• Estimates suggest between 400 and 600 people live in the building, which contains about 120 flats
• A £8.6m refurbishment was completed in 2016
• The local Grenfell Action Group, external claimed both before and during the refurbishment that the block constituted a fire risk

• The block- which was built in 1974 - did not have a sprinkler system
• Many residents were told to stay in their flats until firefighters reached them

• There have been reports that cladding - added in the refurbishment - may have helped the fire spread externally
• Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a statement from the government
• Prime Minister Theresa May says she is "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life"
• Police and Fire Minister Nick Hurd will chair a cross-party meeting in the next hour to look at how the government can assist the emergency services and local authorities

Right down at street level there is anger from people waiting for news of their family, or those of friends.

Samy Radwan and Mehdi Saif, both 19, are propped up against an ambulance - here to support a mate whose cousin, one of a family of five, is missing.

They see a link between what's happened and cuts in public spending. They point to the standard of council housing, and ask why money was spent on the facade of something - rather than making sure it had a second staircase, sprinklers, and loud alarms.

Kensington and Chelsea is, they say, the "richest borough, but the most heartless".

They voted for Labour in the general election which saw the Tories lose this seat.

Residents raised concerns for a long time, they say, and now look...

As to the future fallout? Mehdi says: "It's hard to be optimistic when you are the last priority of anyone else."

Rydon Construction recently carried out a £8.6m upgrade to the 24-storey Grenfell Tower which was completed in May last year.

It said it delivered a "number of improvements" to community facilities and energy efficiency to the building. Additional new homes were created using vacant space, it said on its website, external.

Externally, rain screen cladding, curtain wall façade and replacement windows were fitted, improving thermal insulation and modernising the exterior of the building.

Internally, lower floor space was remodelled to incorporate extra new homes as well as a nurser and a new heating system was installed.

Rydon said its work "met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards".

The medical director of St Mary's hospital in London, Dr Julian Redhead, says St Mary's and Charing Cross hospitals have rolled out a "major incident" response.

The Westway Sports and Fitness Centre, near Grenfell Tower, has become the epicentre of a vast relief effort.

Volunteers have been bringing supplies to help the hundreds of residents displaced by Wednesday's fire, with the council setting up social services and housing services at the centre.

"I think people will be housed but the mats are a place to come and rest, if people want to come in and have a moment to themselves," said Alex Russell from the Westway Trust.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, 5 live

Taxi driver Courtney Connell has been using his cab to help transport people around and deliver food and supplies.

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Sarah Brett: “They always say the cab drivers are the fourth emergency service, so we're doing our bit, some of us, and I’ll stay for as long as it takes.”

He initially came over with some clothes and then realised he could help more: “A cab’s got a load of space in it, so I thought to myself I’ll stop work for the day and I’ll use my cab for that purpose… In times like this really, we try and do the best we can, and help everybody.”

Image source, Other

The BBC's Lucy Manning, who is inside a community centre close to the scene, has spoken to relatives worried about a brother, sister and their three children.

Those children are Mirna, Fatima and the youngest, Zeinab, who is just three.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

There have been reports that Grenfell Tower's exterior cladding may have helped spread the fire.

Matthew Needham-Laing is an architect and a construction lawyer at law firm Katten UK.

He told Radio 4's World at One the tower block looked not dissimilar to footage of other tall buildings where cladding had ignited, causing the fire to spread to other floors.

BBC Radio 5 live

Image source, AFP

Fire safety expert Elvin Edwards told Radio 5live that most firefighters are trained to deal with a fire enclosed in just part of a block like this.

He said: "It looks as though the fire spread externally - and was made 100 times worse than it should have been. It was like a chimney effect.

"The wind was a major factor in fanning the flames. This is unprecedented."

Asked about the building's alarm system and the absence of sprinkler, Mr Edwards said: "People might not have heard the alarm - it might have just actuated on the affected floor. It all depends on the requirements laid out by the local authority which own the building.

"For this type of building in particular, sprinklers are known to suppress the fire, extinguish the fire and save lives."

House of Commons
Parliament

The Speaker makes a short statement, saying: "We are all aware of and horrified by the tragic fire" in North Kensington.

He specifies Parliament cannot examine this event as it normally would but ministers will meet.

He offers condolences to those affected and thanks the emergency services.