London tower block fire: In pictures
- Published
A massive fire broke out in a west London tower block soon after midnight on Wednesday. The fire at Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road was reported at 00:54 BST. Forty fire engines and 200 firefighters attended the scene.
According to witnesses, the fire appeared to take hold of the building in one corner before engulfing the tower block. The building, in North Kensington, is 24 storeys high. It was built in 1974 and contains 120 homes; some 500 people live in the flats. It is reported the fire began on the fourth floor.
Witnesses have described screams of terror and people jumping in a bid to reach safety after the blaze ripped through Grenfell Tower. One evacuated resident, Tamara, told the BBC, "People were just throwing their kids our saying, 'Just save my children, just save my children.'"
The fire gutted the building, with flames soaring from the second floor to the top of the building. Witnesses reported hearing screams from people inside. Police have said a number of people are being treated for "a range of injuries". So far 30 people have been taken to five hospitals.
The cause of the fire is not yet clear. Witness Tim Downie described the scene as "horrendous". "The whole building is engulfed in flames... It's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I just hope they have got everyone out." Many families and older people were reported to be living in the block.
"It was like something out of a Hollywood disaster movie," one resident of the tower block told BBC News. "If we had stayed in that house we would have perished." There were reports of some people jumping from the building. BBC reporter Simon Lederman said he understood "a significant number of people" were unaccounted for.
As firefighters work to extinguish the blaze, questions have begun to arise about what caused the fire and why it spread so rapidly. One resident told the BBC fire alarms "did not go off". London fire brigade say they currently have no indication of what caused the fire.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has declared the fire a "major incident". Roads and Tube stations in the area have been closed and about 30 flats evacuated. The A40 - a major route in and out of London - was closed both ways as rush hour began.
Those living in sight of the scene awoke to find smoke pouring from the tower as firefighters continued to pour water on the blackened building. Resident Chloe Busby said she could "still see flames" at 08:00 BST.
A helicopter circles as smoke rises from the building after the huge fire. The Met Police has set up an emergency number - 0800 0961 233 - for anyone concerned about friends or family.