Death toll in London fire reaches 12, with authorities expecting to find more bodies in charred tower
At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in an overnight blaze that ripped through a 24-story residential tower in a densely populated neighborhood in London on Wednesday, transforming the night sky into a huge column of fire and smoke.
Earlier, six deaths had been confirmed.
“This is going to be a long and complex recovery operation, and I do anticipate the number of fatalities will sadly increase beyond those 12,” police spokesman Cmdr. Stuart Cundy said.
Horrifying images showed the entire building engulfed in flames, and plumes of black smoke billowed so high that they were clearly visible to airline passengers landing in the capital in the early morning.
Scenes of panic unfolded on the ground as families became separated from their loved ones in the rush to flee and pieces of debris fell all around.
The death toll was expected to rise as emergency crews were finally able to get into the upper floors of Grenfell Tower, where isolated fires could still be seen more than 11 hours after the first emergency call was placed.
“In my 29 years in the London Fire Brigade I have never seen a fire of this nature, and I have seen many high-rise fires,” said Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton, who described it as a “completely unprecedented incident.”
The cause was not immediately known, but experts said there were clearly major failings within the building that prevented the fire from remaining isolated.
About 125 families, some in four-bedroom apartments, are believed to have lived in the public housing building in the west London borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The majority of them would have been asleep when the fire started sometime before 1 a.m.
“This is a disaster. It was like waking up in a horror film,” said resident Mickey Paramasivan, who lived in the block but managed to escape with his partner and child.
“When we got out and looked up, it was engulfed. If we were in there another five minutes, we wouldn’t have even been able to get out with the thickness of the smoke that was coming up.”
The fire is believed to have started on the second floor. More than 250 firefighters and 44 fire engines from across the capital rushed to the scene along with 150 police officers and 100 paramedics.
They battled the blaze throughout the night, but rescue efforts were hampered by the speed and ferocity with which the flames consumed the building, leaving many residents trapped.
The fire seemed to move horizontally upward, according to witnesses, and people could be heard screaming, “Help me, help me,” from windows as bystanders on the ground floor watched the scenes of horror unfold, helpless to act.
Some people reportedly threw their children out of the windows in the hope those below would catch them.
There were also reports of adults in the building placing frantic calls to friends and even throwing themselves out of upper floors to escape the flames.
On the upper floors, residents shined flashlights to let the emergency crews know their location, but the strength of the fire meant that it was impossible to reach many of them.
“There were people sliding down sheets tied together trying to get down from at least the ninth floor,” said Paul Littlejohn, 41, who lives in a neighboring building within the housing estate. “There were windows being blown out. We saw fridges falling.”
There were also fears overnight that the building might collapse, and police extended their wide cordon around the site, pushing onlookers back to prevent more injuries.
Structural engineers inspected the charred remains of the building and deemed it was not at risk of collapse, so rescue crews could begin the arduous task of entering the building and identifying victims.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said it took 68 people to six hospitals across London. Eighteen of them are in critical care. Ten additional patients went to hospitals on their own.
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “deeply saddened” and being kept constantly updated, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan swiftly declared it a “major incident” and said questions needed to be answered about how the fire spread.
Residents said that they had raised concerns about the safety of the tower to building managers and the borough’s council, including escape routes and fire escape lighting, but that their worries had fallen on deaf ears.
“They wouldn’t believe that the residents were concerned,” David Collins of the Grenfell Tower residents association told the BBC. “Ninety percent of residents signed an independent petition asking for there to be an investigation into the organization that runs this building because they were so incompetent. And the council turned it down.”
There were also reports that no fire alarm had sounded.
The tower block was built in the 1970s but recently underwent a two-year, $12.7-million refurbishment, financed by the council, which was completed last summer and included new cladding on the outside of the building and a communal heating system.
Rydon, the construction company responsible for the work, said in a statement that it “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards.”
“We will cooperate with the relevant authorities and emergency services and fully support their inquiries into the causes of this fire at the appropriate time,” the statement said.
Emergency shelters were set up for residents in local leisure centers and places of worship, where donations were already pouring in.
Meanwhile, loved ones desperately searched for information on those who were unaccounted for.
London Member of Parliament David Lammy tweeted a photo and appeal for information about his “dear friend, a beautiful soul and emerging artist” Khadija Saye and her mother, who live in Grenfell Tower. “Please contact me if you hear anything,” he wrote.
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UPDATES:
9:30 a.m.: This article was updated with death toll rising from 6 to 12.
6:50 a.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.
4:29 a.m.: This article was updated with the number of people hospitalized.
3:33 a.m.: This article was updated with death toll.
3:02 a.m.: This article was updated with a survivor’s account and information on the building.
12:45 a.m.: This article was updated with background information.
12:10 a.m., June 14: This article was updated to reflect fatalities.
10:50 p.m.: This article was updated with 30 people being sent to hospitals.
9:00 p.m.: This article was updated with 15 people being sent to hospitals.
This article was originally published at 8:05 p.m., June 13.
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