Breaking: Huge fire engulfs 24-story apartment block in West London
Hundreds of rescue personnel were at the scene
of a mammoth fire at a residential tower in West London on Wednesday,
police said. Authorities said "a number" of people had been injured.
Police, fire and ambulance crews raced to
Grenfell Tower, part of the Lancaster West housing estate about a mile
northwest of Kensington Palace.
The London Fire Brigade said it had sent 40 fire engines and 200
firefighters to battle the inferno, which it said was reported at 12:54
a.m. Wednesday local time (7:54 p.m. ET Tuesday). London Metropolitan
Police would say only that "a number of people are being treated for a
range of injuries"; authorities said more than 20 ambulances were
dispatched to the scene.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter that the fire had been declared a "major incident."
Major incident declared at Grenfell Tower in Kensington. 40 fire engines & 200 firefighters at the scene - follow @LondonFire for updates.— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 14, 2017
"This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous
resources and specialist appliances," Assistant Fire Commissioner Dan
Daly said in a statement. No cause had been determined.
I'm stuck in this block!!! Can't leave my house because I'll die from the smoke https://t.co/CGSy2dgKCb— - (@rsrzy_) June 14, 2017
"We wake up early sometimes anyway in the night, and one of my
relatives saw the flames from the window and heard the people
screaming," Ousama Itani, who lives in the area, told NBC News.
"It just started to burn across from one side
to the other, and we saw apartment after apartment getting lit up into
flames," Itani said.
Scores of passersby posted video of the giant blaze on social media,
many of them also saying they could hear residents screaming for help
from their windows. The BBC's London radio service said the fire could be seen from vantage points across the city.
— Fabio Bebber (@biobber) June 14, 2017
Police said the 120-unit tower was being evacuated. Cordons were
erected to seal off the scene, and people were urged to avoid the area.
Grenfell Tower was recently totally
refurbished, according to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea,
the local governing authority.
According to Rydon, the architectural firm that carried out the renovation, Grenfell Tower is 24 stories tall. Fire authorities, however, described it as a 27-story building.
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