14/06/2017 BBC News Special

A huge fire has involved a tower block in London. At least 12 people

have been killed. 600 people lived there. The fire broke out just

before 1am. Fire crews were on the scene within six minutes.

Eyewitnesses say the flames engulfed the 24 story building within 30

minutes, with people desperately trying to escape. The fire was still

raging as dawn broke. The London Fire Brigade desperately struggled

to reach after flaws, but were repelled by the heat and falling day

brief. This is a completely unprecedented fire. 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. Around 30 people are being

treated in six London hospitals. In other news, the government has

opened fire on Republican members of Congress during a baseball game in

Virginia. The attacker was killed by the police. We are united in our

shock and anguish. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.

A huge fire is still burning in West London after it engulfed

a 24 storey residential tower block just before one o'clock

12 people are known to have died, but that figure is expected to rise.

Firefighters managed to get a lot of people out -

and almost all the building has now been searched.

More than seventy people are being treated in six

different hospitals; twenty are critically ill.

This report from Richard Lister contains distressing

A terrifying inferno. Residents waking up to flames and panic. I

could smell panic. It's getting bigger and bigger. There was smoke

literally everywhere. There was cladding falling off the block.

People were screaming. Seeing people at their windows waving, just

desperate for someone to come and rescue them out of their flats. Just

awful. Neighbours came, desperate to help, but with flaming debris

falling from the tower block, their lives were at risk too. We need to

ring 999. On the ground, police cleared a wide chord in and close

the nearby a 40. 200 firefighters were brought in and led many

residents to safety. More than 60 were taken to hospital, and as dawn

broke, it was clear that there was still people trapped in the

building. What floor are you an? Seven? As the tower block burnt,

residents told of the decisions that saved their lives. There was thick

smoke along the whole landing, so I shut the door, and thought maybe it

might be safer to stay inside. And then I phoned my neighbour, and she

said to get out. He made a rope out of his blankets. Others recalled the

horror of what they had seen overnight. People screaming, people

jumping out on fire, chucking ropes down that they had made out of bed

sheets to try and climb out. An absolute and complete nightmare.

There were people throwing their kids out. Save my children, save my

children. The fire brigade and ambulance and police couldn't do

anything. They couldn't get in. They said, stay where you are, we will

come and get you. But things escalated. People are just in shock.

Apparently there's a lot of kids from the school in the building that

are missing. A lot of young kids and old people lived in the block. It

went right up. He is shooting the spot. It was a dangerous night for

firefighters as they battled to get the blaze under control and avoid

falling debris. Crews with building apparatus have been searching the

gutted building, but it took hours for them to get to the upper floors,

and the grim work will take some time yet. I am very sad to confirm

that there have been a number of fatalities. I cannot confirm the

number at this time due to the size and complexity of this building, and

it would be wrong for me to speculate further. Equally, the

cause of the fire is not known. The incident that occurred overnight is

truly shocking. It will take a period of time before we truly

understand what has occurred and the investigation will be complex. As

you would expect, very, very thorough. The tower block is now a

smoking ruin. It should have been one of the safest in the borough,

with a multi-million refurbishment completed last year. 125 families

are now homeless and are the priority for the local authority to

deal with. We need to ensure we can provide shelter for those who have

had to flee their homes. There are genuine and reasonable questions

that residents across the country have who live in tower blocks, and

we need to make sure they are answered. This is a community in

shock. The immediate aftermath is horrific but there will be a

long-term impact as well. This nurse helped survivors overnight. I've

seen some things, but I can't even describe today. There's mothers who

have lost their children. There are firefighters who have come out

injured that we don't know if they are going to even come out safe.

People have lost their homes. Children have seen things. People

were jumping out the window. We just need to rebuild as a community. As

the search for casualties continued, so does the search for answers. What

led to this fire and how did it spread so quickly in a newly

modernised block, destroying homes, traumatising families and taking

lives? President Trump has praised

the bravery of police officers who shot a gunman who opened fire

on Republican politicians. The attack took place at a baseball

practice for a annual charity match. Five people were wounded, including

a senior Republican, Steve Scalees, the House Majority Whip and two

of the police officers. This was a regular morning baseball

practice that a gunman tried to turn into a killing field. At least 50

shots were fired. A congressman was shot in the head. We saw Steve

Scalees on the field, and he dragged himself to safety. There were shots

going overhead from both sides, so finally, when I heard that the

shooter was down, I just ran low out to Steve and started putting

pressure on the wound. The gunmen was shot by police. The Capitol Hill

security detail is there to keep politicians safe. The emotional

shock of seeing your friends shot. You are helpless. You have a

baseball bat and they have a rifle. The gunmen has died in hospital. He

is thought to be 66-year-old James T Hodgkinson from Belleville,

Illinois. His motive is unknown. The shooting has shaken Washington. Both

sides of the political aisle are in shot. When you go to practice for a

game for charity and you have dodge bullets and your colleagues are

shot, it is my breaking point. This hate hath to stop. I was shaken by

the news of a shooting earlier this morning at a baseball field, where

many of my friends and colleagues were practising for the annual

congressional baseball game. We are united in our shock and anguish. An

attack on one of ours is an attack on all of us. President Donald Trump

cancelled. We may have our differences, but we do well in times

like these to remember that everyone who serves in our nation 's capital

is here because, above all, they love our country. It is not yet

known whether or not this was an assassination attempt. There are

reports that the gunmen asked whether or not this was a Democrat

or Republican practice. The annual game between the two sides was due

to be held tomorrow. It's been held of 1909 and is a genuine moment of

political bipartisanship. It's now marred by violence. I now want to

turn to the BBC's coverage of the tower block fire in London.

Throughout the day here we have heard all sorts of accounts from

residents. Spare a thought for the people who have come out to

stairwells that were filled with smoke, and have come to terms with

the idea that they have lost their world possessions and need to find

emergency accommodation. It has been very difficult for the residents of

West London. We will hear stories throughout the evening about how

people are helping with accommodation and showers,

everything they can do to support people with what they have been

through. In the last short while we have heard from the London Fire

Brigade. Firefighters have made it to the top of the building. That

doesn't mean they have carried out a thorough search of those areas, but

they have made it there. Structurally, it is still standing.

There are structural engineers taking a view of the building as it

continues to burn, and ensuring that the firemen who are working around

it, and there are still plenty here, are safe. There is still debris and

masonry falling off, so it's a very unsafe atmosphere. They have managed

to get a hydraulic crane up, targeting water into the centre of

the building so they don't have to put officers in danger. Let's speak

to someone who has been involved today. Your aunt was in the building

last night. She managed to get out safely. Where was she? She was on

the second floor of the Grenfell Tower. I got there at about 1am. The

whole side of the facade was engulfed in flames. I've been there

ever since. I haven't left the site yet. Within four hours, the whole

building had gone up. As each hour went on, the exterior, the panels

and the cladding, was catching fire and that appeared to be spreading

the inferno. It was definitely just on the one side. I was standing

there when I got the phone call about the tower being on fire. As I

was making my way down the A40, you could see it from miles away. When I

got the call, my aunt was at home. What she had done was someone had

alerted her before I could, so she sent a text message telling her sons

that she was OK. She left the property as soon as she could. She

does suffer from arthritis, so her movements are less than ours, but

luckily she was on a low level, the second floor, and it was much easier

to get out. Anyone above a certain flaw in that tower block either

struggled or didn't get out. My aunt has lived here many years. Probably

around the same time as me, 27 years. Did she have concerns about

the safety of the building? The community is kind of close around

here. When people talk, word gets out, and everyone gets involved in

everyone's business. Grenfell Tower has a history of issues in the past.

It's something we have always been aware of. Something was done about

it. I do not live in the block myself. It was only refurbished

about a year ago, so you would have thought that any regulations or

safety concerns would have been taken care of. Was she asleep when

the fire began? It was 2am, so she would have been. Did she tell you

what she came out of the apartment to? She just absolutely ran out. The

first thing you do when you go into that mode is survival. Survival of

yourself and those around you. You just want to get out. I saw her fit

and well, luckily. I could put my worries to rest, but there were

people who are friends of ours who we still haven't heard from, and we

are still waiting to hear from. So presumably she knows many of the

people around. Absolutely. Some of the people have lived there for more

than 30 years. It has affected people in that building and everyone

around. If you look around, there's people from other places who have

come in, just to help. From all religions and races. Everything has

been put aside for today. It's amazing to watch, the police, the

fire brigade and all the emergency services helping. Breathtaking.

Where will she go tonight? Are you housing her? I will do so by all

means, and I know she is a strong woman and will do what she can to

sort this out for herself. She has two lovely sons, my cousins, who are

taking care of her at the moment. Thank keeper talking to us. I'm glad

to say that his auntie managed to get out safely. There has been an

extraordinary effort by the community today. Emergency centres

and churches around the building providing shelter, food and

clothing. Some of the residents around here just giving people a

shower so they can get clean. Tonight, of course, many of them

looking for emergency accommodation. Some hotels in the area are offering

accommodation. Some concerns that the Council of Kensington and

Chelsea are not doing enough for those from neighbouring apartment

blocks who have had to vacate. Let's hear first from our special

correspondent. The air was punctuated by the sound

of crying. Some have loft their home. Others much, much more. They

gathered outside the community centre, but the one thing no one

could offer was good news. For the Shakira family, it was,

understandably, to much. Susan Shakira gave us this picture

of her smiling nieces. What floor where your family on? 22nd. You

haven't been able to contact them at all? I spoke to my sister when she

was in there. All I could hear was people screaming. Even the police

officer heard me shouting. I really just wanted to go in there. I felt

helpless just standing there. A blanket at least. In the last hour,

Susan Heard news that someone might have spoken to her family. She is

hoping it's true. After the panic of the night, the day brought only

silence. My brother-in-law, his wife and three children are missing. The

children's age is 20, 16 or 17, and a boy of eight years. As the Med

spoke to them as they were trapped. I said, why are you not coming? She

said, they are asking us to stay. My husband is talking to the emergency

people. She said, it is all right, they are coming to get us, but the

heat and the smoke is coming. I said, get a wet blanket, put the

kids on the floor, and cover them and wait. She said, we can't do it,

because the smoke is killing us. It's coming through the doors. It's

heavy. That's the last time we heard from her. For those on the lower

floors who did make it out and to the centre, some relief. I woke up

at around 1245 in my living room, to a woman screaming, my baby, my baby,

help me, and the sounds of chaos. Police were coming through the

walkway knocking on everyone's door, saying to evacuate. Get the hell out

of there. This thing is going up. This man was saved by his friend

calling him and telling him to leave. The smoke was so thick you

just couldn't see anything. I got maybe three quarters of the way, and

I was using my hands to feel against the wall. I began thinking to myself

that it was going to be me, I would die of the smoke inhalation. There

was a fireman lying on the ground. This fireman saved my life, because

he touched my foot and kind of lead me where the fire exit was. Ed was

instrumental in raising concerns about the safety of the building

years ago. This accident never needed to happen. If people had

listened to what we were saying, what the blog was saying, what other

members of the community were saying... This is an accident that

never needed to happen. Inside the centre those who are waiting for

news or who have lost their homes have gathered in the hall. It is a

fairly distressing situation at times. People are sobbing as they

wait for news, news that may not be good news at this time. It is also

busy in there. They are getting help with housing, food and medical help.

They have no homes to go back to, and now it's not just the burnt out

building that looms over this community, but the fear that they

will hear that many more of their neighbours have died.

No doubt we will be facing some sad news in the hours ahead, because

that recovery operation is ongoing. Let's speak to someone who has been

helping today, providing spiritual help and a shoulder to cry on, the

right reverend Doctor Graham Tomlin, the Bishop of Kensington. You were

just telling me while we were watching the report said that you

have been providing some help to the firemen and the emergency services

who have been in there. They have to deal with these traumatic situations

as well. Exactly. Around the tower block there are crowds of Fire

Service, ambulance and police, who are all dealing with the immediate

issue themselves, trying to put out the fire. Then they'd begin to have

to see what can be done with the building and the bodies inside. I

have been spending time talking to our clergy and giving them someone

to talk to. I think they appreciate their people who give them time to

hear their stories and for them to unburden themselves to. A lot of

people in the early hours work on adrenaline and want to get

themselves to safety. Tonight they will be processing what they have

been through. Tell us about some of the stories you've come across and

how you are helping. Some are pretty grim stories of firefighters having

to go into the building, cope with the heat and the water jets there,

the equipment they have on the hottest day of the year, that they

are having to step over bodies and kind of manage the trauma of that

kind of thing. They are used to it. They are very professional. One of

the things that struck me talking to them was how calm they were. But in

the days to come, they have realised that a lot of the memories are going

to come back, because they haven't been through this on this scale

before. Firefighters of 30 years haven't ever seen anything like

this. We have spoken from the fire brigade commander in charge today,

saying that she had never seen anything like this in a high-rise

before. There are concerns there isn't enough accommodation for

people. I have just been down to a nearby church, where there are a lot

of people today. They have been told that accommodation is being provided

for them. Those who are there are being taken to respite centres and

other places. A lot of other churches locally have set themselves

up as places where people can stay, like St John's in Notting Hill up

the road. They have 40 beds in the body of the church for people. The

council have told us that accommodation has been found.

Whether we will actually... Whether that is true, we will find out. It's

not just those in the block, it's everyone around who has been

evacuated. Most people around here who need a bed tonight are people in

the local area from the blocks nearby who have been evacuated. I

was talking to one family who were evacuated late last night, and they

had to come out without anything. Clothes, nothing. The mother is on

medication, and had to leave it behind. A lot of distress around.

You get to know the community. Are there still members of your

congregation who are unaccounted for? I am the Bishop of the area, so

I know some of them. I was talking to one of our Filipino priests

earlier. He is anxious about a number of people he knows of who

were in the block who haven't been accounted for. There are good news

stories. I spoke to one of the firemen who brought out one of the

last survivors at around 9am. They were up on one of the flaws.

Suddenly, a door opens, an elderly gentleman walks out, it sounded like

he was blind. They took him out safely, one of the last out of the

building. So there are good news stories like that but I expect there

are worse to come. Thank you for talking to us. If you do want to

help and you want to know about anyone who might have been trapped

in that building, there is a line. High pressure brought some warm

weather to parts of England and Wales today. This warm front working