:00:00. > :00:14.The London tower block engulfed by fire -
:00:15. > :00:19.at least six people have been killed but the death toll is expected to
:00:20. > :00:25.Up to 600 people lived here - the blaze broke out just before 1am
:00:26. > :00:37.No need to ring 999, there is a dedicated line for this incident.
:00:38. > :00:40.Eyewitnesses say they saw people trapped in their flats -
:00:41. > :00:42.shouting from their windows - trying to throw their
:00:43. > :00:48.It was so dark and so much smoke was there.
:00:49. > :00:50.There was people running down the stairs, some people had luggage,
:00:51. > :01:02.There was no sound of alarm or bells whatsoever.
:01:03. > :01:09.Mothers have come out and have lost their children, firefighters have
:01:10. > :01:10.come out injured. We do not know if there are even going to come out
:01:11. > :01:12.safe. The tower is still burning 12 hours
:01:13. > :01:15.later - firefighters are still The Mayor of London says a lot
:01:16. > :01:22.of people are unaccounted for. Our focus now is search and rescue,
:01:23. > :01:25.although we're going to move to - Of course we've got to make sure
:01:26. > :01:29.that in the meantime we provide shelter to those who've had
:01:30. > :01:33.to flee their homes. Grenfell Tower had just been
:01:34. > :01:36.refurbished in the last year - at a cost of ?10 million -
:01:37. > :01:51.residents say they were astonished It is not clear what started the
:01:52. > :01:59.fire. The London Fire Brigade chief says in 29 years firefighting she
:02:00. > :02:04.has never seen like it. On BBC London we hear from the
:02:05. > :02:05.tenants who say they ignored safety advice to flee from the building
:02:06. > :02:24.with their lives. A huge fire is still burning
:02:25. > :02:30.in this residential tower Up to six hundred people may
:02:31. > :02:37.have been in the flats there when the blaze broke out just
:02:38. > :02:44.before one o'clock this morning. Six people are known to have died -
:02:45. > :02:48.though at this stage we have no idea Around 70 people are being treated
:02:49. > :02:51.in hospitals across London and a major incident
:02:52. > :02:56.has been declared. Residents who escaped
:02:57. > :02:58.from Grenfell Tower spoke of people trapped in their homes -
:02:59. > :03:01.screaming for help, some holding children from the windows,
:03:02. > :03:06.others jumping from higher floors. 40 fire engines and 200
:03:07. > :03:08.firefighters have been What caused it and why it spread
:03:09. > :03:17.so rapidly is unknown. The Prime Minister has said
:03:18. > :03:19.she is "deeply saddened Our first report is
:03:20. > :03:23.from Richard Lister - you may find some of the images
:03:24. > :03:31.in his report distressing. This 27 story block,
:03:32. > :03:48.home to hundreds of people, Residents waking up to smoke and
:03:49. > :03:51.panic. I could hear shouting and screaming, people saying it is
:03:52. > :03:58.getting bigger. There was smoke everywhere. Cladding falling off the
:03:59. > :04:02.block of that was on fire. People screaming. You could see people at
:04:03. > :04:05.their windows waving and just wanting someone to come and rescue
:04:06. > :04:13.them from their flat. It was just awful. Neighbours came desperate to
:04:14. > :04:23.help out with flaming debris falling from the tower block, their lives
:04:24. > :04:29.were also at risk. No need to ring 999, there is a
:04:30. > :04:35.dedicated line for this incident. On the ground police closed the nearby
:04:36. > :04:40.a 40 road, some 200 firefighters were brought in and led many
:04:41. > :04:44.residents to safety. More than 50 people were taken to hospital and as
:04:45. > :04:49.it began to get light it was clear there was still people trapped in
:04:50. > :04:57.the building. What floor are you on? Seven. As the tower block burned
:04:58. > :05:05.people recalled the horror of what they had seen. People screaming,
:05:06. > :05:10.jumping out on fire, climbing out on ropes that they had made from bed
:05:11. > :05:14.sheets, just a complete nightmare. People were throwing the kids are
:05:15. > :05:17.saying just save my children. The Fire Brigade and ambulance and
:05:18. > :05:21.police could do nothing. They could not get in. They just told them to
:05:22. > :05:28.stay where they are, we will come and get you. Things quickly
:05:29. > :05:33.escalated. Everyone is in shock. People are searching for people with
:05:34. > :05:39.pictures. Many kids from the School are missing. There were a lot of
:05:40. > :05:44.young kids and old people living in the block. It went right up, no
:05:45. > :05:48.stopping it. Fire crews using breathing apparatus are still trying
:05:49. > :05:52.to search the building. But the fire was blazing all morning and it is a
:05:53. > :05:56.slow and dangerous task. The final number of casualties is still
:05:57. > :06:01.unclear. I'm very sad to confirmed they have been a number of
:06:02. > :06:05.fatalities. I cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size
:06:06. > :06:09.and complexity of this building and clearly it would be wrong for me to
:06:10. > :06:14.speculate further. Equally the cause of the fire is not known at this
:06:15. > :06:17.stage. The incident that occurred overnight is truly shocking. It is
:06:18. > :06:23.going to take a period of time before we truly understand what has
:06:24. > :06:29.occurred, why it has occurred and the investigation will be complex
:06:30. > :06:33.and as you'd expect, thorough. The tower block is now a smoking ruin.
:06:34. > :06:35.It should've been one of the safest in the borough was a multi-million
:06:36. > :06:41.pound refurbishment completed last year. 125 families are now homeless
:06:42. > :06:47.and the priority for the local authorities to deal with is that
:06:48. > :06:51.homelessness. We need to make sure we provide shelter for those who had
:06:52. > :06:55.to flee their homes and also the neighbouring properties are
:06:56. > :06:58.affected. Other questions, reasonable questions that the
:06:59. > :07:01.residents across the country will have who live in tower blocks and we
:07:02. > :07:05.need to make sure there are answered. This is a community in
:07:06. > :07:09.shock, the immediate aftermath is horrific enough but there will be a
:07:10. > :07:14.long-term impact as well. This nurse helped survivors overnight. I have
:07:15. > :07:22.seen but today, I cannot even describe it. Mothers that have come
:07:23. > :07:26.out and lost their children. Firefighters that have come out
:07:27. > :07:30.injured. That we do not know if they're even going to come out
:07:31. > :07:34.safely. People have lost their homes, children have seen things,
:07:35. > :07:40.people jumping out of the window. We just need to rebuild now as
:07:41. > :07:44.community. As the search for casualties continues, so does the
:07:45. > :07:48.search for answers. What led to this buyer and crucially how did it
:07:49. > :07:54.spread so quickly in a newly modernised block. Destroying homes,
:07:55. > :08:03.traumatising families, and taking an unknown number of lives. Richard
:08:04. > :08:07.Lister, BBC News. Nick Paget Brown is the leader of the council. You
:08:08. > :08:12.have been here since three o'clock this morning. Truly horrifying what
:08:13. > :08:16.has happened. Truly horrifying. It is a terrible day in the history of
:08:17. > :08:21.Kensington. I have never seen a fire like this. My thoughts go out to all
:08:22. > :08:27.those who have lost relatives, cannot find their friends and
:08:28. > :08:31.relatives or who have been rendered homeless. Clearly it is the most
:08:32. > :08:34.terrible tragedy. I'm very grateful to the local community for the
:08:35. > :08:39.support they have given to people who've lost their homes. And for the
:08:40. > :08:41.emergency services for the wonderful work they have done and support from
:08:42. > :08:46.neighbouring authorities, housing associations and others offering
:08:47. > :08:52.accommodation to people tonight. What has shocked people was the
:08:53. > :08:57.speed with which the blaze spread. One eyewitness said within half an
:08:58. > :09:01.hour of it catching fire the whole tower was like. I think that is
:09:02. > :09:05.right, when I arrived the flames were already engulfing several
:09:06. > :09:10.stories and it was moving very quickly. So there needs to be a
:09:11. > :09:15.investigation into why the fire started and why it spread so
:09:16. > :09:18.quickly. Throughout the building. It has just been refurbished, you're
:09:19. > :09:23.here for the reopening just last year. What have they been doing?
:09:24. > :09:29.There was a refurbishment, we are refurbishing many of the 1960s,
:09:30. > :09:33.1970s the States. To improve the heating and hot water systems and
:09:34. > :09:37.install better Windows and improved insulation and make them more energy
:09:38. > :09:40.efficient. There was a major refurbishment with new cladding on
:09:41. > :09:45.the outside and clearly we will need to look at the standards that were
:09:46. > :09:51.applied. Whether those were followed and met. And that is what we will be
:09:52. > :09:56.doing. And presumably you will need to look at other buildings also
:09:57. > :09:59.undergoing refurbishment. Yes I think there are issues about towers
:10:00. > :10:06.and how they are refurbished and what materials are used and what
:10:07. > :10:11.warnings and measures are in place for people to evacuate the building.
:10:12. > :10:15.And we will need to have a look at all of that. But that is for the
:10:16. > :10:16.future, tonight my concern is to ensure that the residents have
:10:17. > :10:31.somewhere to stay. Thank you. To let you know where we are,
:10:32. > :10:35.Grenfell Tower is in west London, close to some of London's busiest
:10:36. > :10:38.transport routes, in North Kensington, close to be a 40
:10:39. > :11:05.Westway, a main route into West London.
:11:06. > :11:13.We can join now our correspondent Wyre Davies who has a vantage point,
:11:14. > :11:20.he has been watching proceedings from a place close by. Yes, indeed,
:11:21. > :11:24.I am on the other side of the building effectively to you and we
:11:25. > :11:27.are just on the edge of the exclusion zone. Police and security
:11:28. > :11:31.services are keeping people well back from here because there is a
:11:32. > :11:34.lot of concern about the integrity of the building itself. Throughout
:11:35. > :11:39.the night and the morning, we have seen huge pieces of cladding falling
:11:40. > :11:43.off the building. In the last couple of hours, there was a lot of concern
:11:44. > :11:46.because a new seat of fire and flame cooked or cold again right in the
:11:47. > :11:53.middle of the building, making it difficult for the Fire Service to
:11:54. > :11:58.get to. In the meantime, they have brought in this huge unmanned crane
:11:59. > :12:02.and that is now chucking out tonnes and gallons of water right into the
:12:03. > :12:06.middle of the building itself. As you can see, the very top of the
:12:07. > :12:11.building, there is still a very fierce fire still ablaze and that is
:12:12. > :12:17.causing concern. There were some array -- heroic stories earlier on
:12:18. > :12:20.firefighters going into the building as residents were fleeing but there
:12:21. > :12:24.were concerns about the safety of the firefighters themselves. Being
:12:25. > :12:28.able to get that unmanned crane adjacent to the building, you can
:12:29. > :12:33.see huge bits of masonry falling off now. It is far too dangerous for the
:12:34. > :12:39.crews to get close now Bobby and manned crane is doing a good job of
:12:40. > :12:42.putting up the fire. I spoke to a local resident this morning and she
:12:43. > :12:47.said the thing that surprised how was how quickly the fire spread
:12:48. > :12:52.upwards from the middle of the buyer -- from the middle of the tower
:12:53. > :12:56.itself. We know six people have died already and when the buyer is out,
:12:57. > :13:01.there will be a recovery operation and the theories there will be
:13:02. > :13:05.perhaps many more fatalities, perhaps many more people trapped in
:13:06. > :13:10.the top stories of the building. We have been contacted today by a group
:13:11. > :13:14.calling themselves the Grenfell action group, a group from the tower
:13:15. > :13:20.themselves, a group who say they have complained many times over
:13:21. > :13:24.recent years about fire risk in the building itself. Of course those
:13:25. > :13:27.kinds of things will come out in the enquiry which will undoubtedly
:13:28. > :13:30.happen but the big challenge remained several hours after this
:13:31. > :13:37.fire started to put out the fire itself. Back to you. Well, it is the
:13:38. > :13:41.smell that really hits you when you first arrive here and also just
:13:42. > :13:47.everywhere around, up to a quarter of a mile away, there are charged
:13:48. > :13:52.bits of what must be the cladding that has loan at the building during
:13:53. > :13:57.the fire overnight. Throughout the streets, big groups of people are
:13:58. > :14:00.gathering, handing out water to anyone who wants one. Also handing
:14:01. > :14:05.out food, I met an eyewitness who had come here with armfuls of
:14:06. > :14:08.clothes, going to all of the centres that have opened up. She said so
:14:09. > :14:13.many people have given so much already that a lot of these centres
:14:14. > :14:16.were literally turning people away. Lots of questions about what
:14:17. > :14:19.happened last night but also questions about what is going to
:14:20. > :14:23.happen to the people who live in this tower block, where they are
:14:24. > :14:29.going to go now. Tom Burridge is that one of the police cordons. Tom.
:14:30. > :14:32.I have been speaking to residents this morning and people said they
:14:33. > :14:38.have witnessed things they never thought they would. People hearing
:14:39. > :14:41.the screams of children trapped in the building, witnessing presidents
:14:42. > :14:47.jump from several floors up. I spoke to a man who spoke on the phone to
:14:48. > :14:51.his cousin who was trapped inside with her two-year-old son. The phone
:14:52. > :14:56.line went dead at 4am and he didn't know when I spoke to him what had
:14:57. > :15:00.happened to her cousin or her son. Then there was the remarkable story
:15:01. > :15:08.of a woman who apparently through her baby out of the window several
:15:09. > :15:11.floors up down to residents who had made a makeshift parachute below. We
:15:12. > :15:16.believe the baby survived but we don't know what happened to his
:15:17. > :15:21.mother. Teheran many stories of survival but there are many more sad
:15:22. > :15:25.stories -- there are many stories of survival but there are many more sad
:15:26. > :15:32.stories of those who died. Grief when it is raw. This area is known
:15:33. > :15:36.for London's Notting Hill Carnival. Today, struggling to understand how
:15:37. > :15:44.a fire in Taiwan's home could burn down a whole block of flats with
:15:45. > :15:50.such a devastating effect. This man lived there. There was so much
:15:51. > :15:55.smoke, people with luggage, so much confusion. There was no sound of
:15:56. > :15:59.fire alarm bells whatsoever. This was really horrific. There was a man
:16:00. > :16:04.who threw two of his children, people jumping out. And this lady
:16:05. > :16:09.told us a friend and her three children were trapped high up in the
:16:10. > :16:13.building. A friend told me they have been looking for her since 2am and
:16:14. > :16:18.they couldn't find anything. They just told me to go to hospital and
:16:19. > :16:27.as you have seen, we don't know nothing that happened. We don't know
:16:28. > :16:34.if they are alive or dead. I got the extinguisher and try to put it out
:16:35. > :16:39.and it didn't work. We had no chance. The kitchen started to fill
:16:40. > :16:43.with smoke, so I had to run, grab my telephone and my passport and they
:16:44. > :16:47.are the only things I have at the moment. When the left-hand side of
:16:48. > :16:49.the building was on fire, I remember seeing on the right-hand side, I
:16:50. > :16:52.remember seeing what I could see was a woman and a young child, a young
:16:53. > :16:58.man or something, putting their heads out of the window. This
:16:59. > :17:02.community woke to a nightmare. Whether an accident or something
:17:03. > :17:07.more sinister, this is for all the wrong reasons so much more than a
:17:08. > :17:12.normal day. People have come out into the street this morning,
:17:13. > :17:15.disbelief, some anger too. There are the charred remains of the building
:17:16. > :17:21.all over the streets here, it is lifted, and there is a stench of the
:17:22. > :17:28.fire in the air. And this is a page of someone's maths homework. In no
:17:29. > :17:33.time, people rallied around. Handing out and collecting, helping as they
:17:34. > :17:37.could. Please do spread the word. If people just come down, into their
:17:38. > :17:43.pockets, that would be amazing. People have just come out of their
:17:44. > :17:47.houses, out of their homes. Really via social media, really, and the
:17:48. > :17:52.response is amazing. It's a very caring team in there. We were here
:17:53. > :17:57.two hours ago leaving and we are back, so many more people. There
:17:58. > :18:02.were also small moments of relief and joy among all the sadness. I
:18:03. > :18:06.have just found out from a very good friend, her daughter was separated
:18:07. > :18:13.from her, we have just got news that, thank God, she has been found.
:18:14. > :18:17.It is just really, it is unbelievable. She has been found.
:18:18. > :18:21.She is in a hospital though. There was plenty of confusion about how
:18:22. > :18:27.many people have been killed, whether people this morning were
:18:28. > :18:31.still trapped. From the rear -- the rumours circling among the residents
:18:32. > :18:36.here, it doesn't sound good. As I walked up here, you could be
:18:37. > :18:42.forgiven for thinking that a lot of people were moving home, they
:18:43. > :18:46.weren't, they were carrying huge amounts of personal belongings, I
:18:47. > :18:49.saw people with duvets, clothes, and they were taking them to be
:18:50. > :18:52.survivors, people who have probably lost everything overnight. But of
:18:53. > :18:57.course a lot of the attention will be on the victims of this tragedy,
:18:58. > :19:00.those who have died, and you only have to look at the charred remains
:19:01. > :19:04.of that building behind me in the distance there to get a sense of how
:19:05. > :19:08.long it's going to take this investigation and to establish
:19:09. > :19:12.exactly how many people have died. Tom Burridge, thank you very much. I
:19:13. > :19:17.am here with one of the residents who has lost absolutely everything.
:19:18. > :19:24.Everything. Everything we own. And you were incredibly lucky? You were
:19:25. > :19:29.on the seventh floor. The fire broke out on the fourth floor and ice
:19:30. > :19:33.melted by chance. I was away, everyone else was asleep. The fire
:19:34. > :19:37.alarms going off wouldn't have way can anyone. They should really have
:19:38. > :19:45.been allowed racket. So when you looked through the door? I saw the
:19:46. > :19:48.smoke in the corridor, straightaway I panicked, I saw my Spanish
:19:49. > :19:53.neighbours and I saw firemen panicking going, get out, get out. I
:19:54. > :20:00.said I have got my girl and my Mrs in there. I ran back in, that my
:20:01. > :20:06.dressing gown over my little girl's base, got my girlfriend out, as we
:20:07. > :20:11.ran down, it was getting darker and darker, horrifying. We managed to
:20:12. > :20:15.get out, fresh air, we looked at the building and it was involved, like
:20:16. > :20:18.it had been on fire for hours. I was looking at the top end there was a
:20:19. > :20:25.silhouette of three kids banging on the window. Next thing you know,
:20:26. > :20:28.bang, it exploded and the pre-silhouettes had gone. Someone
:20:29. > :20:35.else told me there were someone on the refund they saw them jump off.
:20:36. > :20:42.It is absolutely horrendous. It is not what you expect in the 21st
:20:43. > :20:45.century. No, and the fire regulations in there must be
:20:46. > :20:51.resourced, because it just didn't happen. It spread so fast. The fire
:20:52. > :20:55.spread so quickly. There was a fire in a tower nearby recently and it
:20:56. > :20:59.was segregated, the fire was stopped in one place. Proper fire
:21:00. > :21:05.regulations. This just went up and was even spitting over into the
:21:06. > :21:09.school. There were lots of fire engines and about 40 police vans but
:21:10. > :21:14.only two fire engines sprang at the time. People up on the 23rd floor
:21:15. > :21:17.who couldn't get out. The firefighters couldn't get up that
:21:18. > :21:22.far because it was so hot so quickly. It is extraordinary because
:21:23. > :21:27.the advice a lot of people were told was to stay in your home? Yes, you
:21:28. > :21:31.stay in there with a wet towel by your door and you will be rescued
:21:32. > :21:34.within the hour. The flats are designed for that but there was no
:21:35. > :21:40.way I was going to wait an hour with the aggressiveness of the fire. What
:21:41. > :21:44.happens to you now? You have lost everything. We have got to wait for
:21:45. > :21:48.emergency housing and then we have to be everything again. But you are
:21:49. > :21:55.alive and your stepdaughter and girlfriend. Yes, God willing. I just
:21:56. > :21:59.feel sorry for everybody who has perished and their families. The
:22:00. > :22:03.people crying outside, there is so much tragedy and someone has got to
:22:04. > :22:06.answer for this, someone has got to be held responsible. An absolutely
:22:07. > :22:11.horrific situation. Thank you very much for speaking to us though. We
:22:12. > :22:16.know that around 70 people are being treated in hospitals across London
:22:17. > :22:21.now. Helen Ali is that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital nearby. That's
:22:22. > :22:27.right, so be. We are around three miles or so away from where you are.
:22:28. > :22:30.This is one of London's busiest hospitals, Chelsea and Westminster,
:22:31. > :22:35.it has its own accident and emergency department, but we know
:22:36. > :22:38.that a major incident was triggered here in the early hours of this
:22:39. > :22:44.morning and the London ambulance brought in 25 patients who were
:22:45. > :22:47.admitted here to this hospital and, crucially, at this hospital they
:22:48. > :22:51.have got a specialist burns unit which is available to treat both
:22:52. > :22:54.children and adults and I am told within the most of the early
:22:55. > :23:02.injured, they will have been brought to this hospital here. -- the most
:23:03. > :23:05.severely injured. They have got dedicated burns consultants,
:23:06. > :23:11.specialist nurses and also cook psychologists because not only will
:23:12. > :23:13.they need medical support, but also we have heard those harrowing
:23:14. > :23:17.accounts from eyewitnesses throughout this morning and the
:23:18. > :23:21.injured at this hospital and the other for hospitals will need to
:23:22. > :23:28.have also that psychological support to help them deal with what they
:23:29. > :23:32.went through last night. Helen Ali at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital,
:23:33. > :23:35.thank you. Let's go to another nearby hospital that has been taking
:23:36. > :23:42.the injured. Jane Draper is that St Mary's in Paddington. That's right.
:23:43. > :23:48.16 patients here, survivors of the buyer, three of whom are being
:23:49. > :23:52.treated are critically injured and that another nearby hospital in West
:23:53. > :23:56.London, and other for patience, none of those are critical. I understand
:23:57. > :23:59.that all of the injured patients across London are being treated for
:24:00. > :24:06.the effects of inhaling smoke. None of the injured survivors suffered
:24:07. > :24:10.burns, apparently. The hospital here displayed a major incident in the
:24:11. > :24:14.middle of the night was that there have been distressing scenes here. I
:24:15. > :24:17.spoke to one woman searching for a friend of hers, a mother of three
:24:18. > :24:21.who lived on the 20th floor of the tower block. We have heard here how
:24:22. > :24:28.Dove rolled up their sleeves and came in off duty. The trust's
:24:29. > :24:32.medical duty -- medical director briefed reporters earlier. We have
:24:33. > :24:36.for patients, none of whom are critical. I am very proud of the
:24:37. > :24:41.fantastic response from our staff, both those on duty and those who
:24:42. > :24:45.came in as a response to the major incident protocol. We continue to
:24:46. > :24:50.care for patients who are primarily suffering from the effects of smoke
:24:51. > :24:52.inhalation. Along with the emergency services and other receiving
:24:53. > :24:58.hospitals, we are ensuring we are doing everything we can to care for
:24:59. > :25:01.and support those affected by this dreadful incident. Our accident and
:25:02. > :25:05.emergency department at both hospitals remain busy and we are
:25:06. > :25:08.asking members of the public to attend only if it is an emergency.
:25:09. > :25:12.We are requesting that where possible they attend their local
:25:13. > :25:15.walk-in centres or their general practice. We are trying to see as
:25:16. > :25:23.many patents with scheduled appointment as possible during this
:25:24. > :25:27.time. And it's the third time in three months that this hospital,
:25:28. > :25:31.this NHS hospital has been put to the test. They also treated patients
:25:32. > :25:34.here who were caught up in the Westminster Bridge attack at the end
:25:35. > :25:39.of March and more recently in the London Bridge attack. So this has
:25:40. > :25:45.been another very difficult, very testing morning for the staff here.
:25:46. > :25:51.Sophie. Jane, thank you very much. Well, we have no idea what caused
:25:52. > :25:56.this place, we just know it took hold incredibly quickly, within 30,
:25:57. > :26:00.35 minutes or so, according to eyewitnesses. We know it had been
:26:01. > :26:04.recently refurbished, only reopened last year. But the London Fire
:26:05. > :26:09.Brigade chief has already said she's seen many tower block fires in her
:26:10. > :26:17.time but she has never seen anything like this. Simon Gompertz reports.
:26:18. > :26:22.Shocked witnesses talked about the speed at which the Grenfell Tower
:26:23. > :26:28.fire spread, there did seem to envelop the 24 story building in
:26:29. > :26:33.just 30 minutes. Investigators will be asking how that could have
:26:34. > :26:36.happened. I was taking videos at 1:30am and it was right from the
:26:37. > :26:40.bottom straight to the top and moving across the building. The
:26:41. > :26:45.movement of the fire across the entire building took no more than
:26:46. > :26:48.half an hour. The tower was built in 1973 but had an extensive
:26:49. > :26:52.refurbishment last year and attention is already focusing on the
:26:53. > :27:00.rainproof cladding which was added on the outside to boost integration.
:27:01. > :27:02.The worry and this is just speculation at the moment, but the
:27:03. > :27:05.fire might have spread across it. The cladding system is there to
:27:06. > :27:08.prevent water coming into the building but it also creates a
:27:09. > :27:13.cavity around the back between the outside pace of the building and the
:27:14. > :27:18.concrete structure. It should have fire stops at each floor level or
:27:19. > :27:22.should be noncombustible to prevent it acting as a chimney and allowing
:27:23. > :27:26.the fire to spread. Residents had more concerned that the advice was
:27:27. > :27:31.to remain behind the fire retardant doors of their flats rather than
:27:32. > :27:35.escape, to stay put. And that there was no central fire alarm system.
:27:36. > :27:40.These practices which depend on fire being containable in one area of a
:27:41. > :27:44.building. The residents action group said it flag dangers but all
:27:45. > :27:51.warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted a catastrophe like this
:27:52. > :27:55.was inevitable in just a matter of time. There are a number of tower
:27:56. > :27:58.blocks across London and across the country and responsibility lies with
:27:59. > :28:00.the local authority or private management companies and they need
:28:01. > :28:05.to make sure that tower blocks are safe. I will be asking questions
:28:06. > :28:10.raised by the fire last night. The kind of questions your viewers are
:28:11. > :28:13.asking, that are not unreasonably being asked by the residents.
:28:14. > :28:17.Answers will be crucial to make sure the other tower blocks are not in
:28:18. > :28:22.danger and to address worries that fire officers might not have had
:28:23. > :28:25.easy access to the building. Tower blocks are designed to avoid this
:28:26. > :28:31.kind of thing happening, firefighters normally would fight a
:28:32. > :28:36.fire like this from the inside, going up the fire escape and
:28:37. > :28:39.fighting using internal mains and so on and clearly that has not been
:28:40. > :28:47.possible in this case. The company in charge of the refurbishment last
:28:48. > :28:50.year, Taiwan, told BBC they met all required building control, fire
:28:51. > :28:54.regulation and health and safety standards and they fully support
:28:55. > :28:57.enquiries into the fire. But to avoid further catastrophic fires
:28:58. > :29:01.respected fire protection Association says the increasing use
:29:02. > :29:04.of combustible materials in construction needs to be addressed.
:29:05. > :29:14.That is likely to be a major focus for investigators. Well so many
:29:15. > :29:18.questions and very few answers. The investigation of course will begin,.
:29:19. > :29:25.Our Science Editor David Shukman is in our central London newsroom.
:29:26. > :29:30.A number of fire safety experts we spoke to this one have been
:29:31. > :29:34.reluctant to go on record about the possible cause because there are so
:29:35. > :29:38.worried about causing offence. But one major factor is this. British
:29:39. > :29:42.tower blocks are basically designed with what is called a passive safety
:29:43. > :29:47.system in other words the building designed to contain a fire if there
:29:48. > :29:50.is one in a particular corner of the building. They should not spread.
:29:51. > :29:58.Clearly there will be a major set of questions about how it was possible
:29:59. > :30:00.for the fire to spread across the building and vertically and in such
:30:01. > :30:04.incredible speed. Another major focus of any investigation will look
:30:05. > :30:08.at the cladding. We heard about how chunks of this cladding from the
:30:09. > :30:12.outside the building were seen on fire and falling to the ground. A
:30:13. > :30:17.lot of questions will be raised about that. The point of cladding is
:30:18. > :30:23.if you have an old 1970s tower block like this, it is quite a good
:30:24. > :30:28.solution to improve its insulation and improve its looks, by fitting
:30:29. > :30:31.panels to the outside. Well if you look around the world we have seen a
:30:32. > :30:37.number of incidents of tower blocks with cladding fitted to them burning
:30:38. > :30:41.up and causing a great deal of distress and damage and fatalities.
:30:42. > :30:47.A key focus of this now will be, it is the cladding, what is contained
:30:48. > :30:50.in it, resistant enough to fire. Particularly at those very high
:30:51. > :30:54.temperatures you get when a fire gets completely out of control. So
:30:55. > :30:59.the passive safety system failing, that is one major area, and what
:31:00. > :31:05.role the cladding played in this disaster. Thank you very much. Well
:31:06. > :31:12.to people who have lived in this area all the lives join me now. Sam
:31:13. > :31:19.Proctor and Monica Bryant. Really unbelievably shocking. You're
:31:20. > :31:31.wearing a mask because there is still smoke around. There's a lot of
:31:32. > :31:41.shrapnel everywhere. It is bad. And it is really sad. You both know
:31:42. > :31:47.people who live there first one person, we do know if he's OK and
:31:48. > :31:54.another we just found out he is OK. Then another friend of mine died. A
:31:55. > :31:59.friend of mine, and anti, children and uncle who died as well. You know
:32:00. > :32:02.that for sure? Yes. It is so shocking to see what has happened
:32:03. > :32:08.and the absolute panic during the night. The thing that is more
:32:09. > :32:11.shocking is apparently we were told emergency services could not get
:32:12. > :32:15.into the building. That is why it escalated to the point where it is
:32:16. > :32:24.still on fire now. Loads of hours later. And there are three other
:32:25. > :32:30.buildings underneath. They tried to modernise it, they should have left
:32:31. > :32:35.it. New kitchens or whatever. They put a plastic cladding over it. And
:32:36. > :32:41.then one of the other neighbours said they saw the plastic cladding
:32:42. > :32:46.going up. Or an explosion happened with the fridge and then the plastic
:32:47. > :32:51.cladding was all coming off. Certainly this whole area covered
:32:52. > :32:55.with this black, charcoal debris. We just do not know what has happened
:32:56. > :33:00.at the moment. There is a lot of shock and angry people here as well.
:33:01. > :33:03.A lot of anger. They have just thrown up these new places and
:33:04. > :33:08.they're just not doing them properly. It has happened too
:33:09. > :33:12.quickly. They're building and putting in the kitchen is too
:33:13. > :33:16.quickly and then you have problems. There has been a lot of touring and
:33:17. > :33:18.throwing with the council apparently about the safety of the building
:33:19. > :33:23.before this happened. And also the advice given to people in the event
:33:24. > :33:29.of fire. Thein Sein, stay put. I had never heard that, but maybe because
:33:30. > :33:35.the emergency services could not get to them. They said stay in and shut
:33:36. > :33:40.the door. But they will not have known how severe it was. They are
:33:41. > :33:42.doing their best. We must just say, you say you've lived here all your
:33:43. > :33:46.lives but the response of the community has been incredible. I
:33:47. > :33:52.could not walk for people handing out food and water. Soft toys and
:33:53. > :33:59.stuffer babies. We have all stepped together and it is good to see it.
:34:00. > :34:02.Sad, but good. -- stuff for babies. Very sad for your friend and I hope
:34:03. > :34:08.everyone is found. Thank you very much.
:34:09. > :34:12.Because of events here overnight, political business has been put on
:34:13. > :34:16.hold. Let's go to Westminster now and Norman Smith.
:34:17. > :34:22.We heard from the Prime Minister short time ago. I suspect in the
:34:23. > :34:26.aftermath of such a national tragedy many people will expect there would
:34:27. > :34:30.be some kind of common statement to give the MPs a chance to express
:34:31. > :34:35.their horror and sadness at what has happened and also to begin to ask
:34:36. > :34:38.those many questions about fire safety, building regulations, local
:34:39. > :34:43.authority oversight and so on. That will not happen and the reason is
:34:44. > :34:48.Wilmot is because frankly of the current uncertainty gripping
:34:49. > :34:53.Westminster. Because MPs cannot begin their business again until the
:34:54. > :34:57.government can produce its Queen 's speech. Without this morning that
:34:58. > :35:01.that is almost certainly not going to be delayed because the DUP the
:35:02. > :35:04.two ministers are trying to strike a deal of the view it would simply be
:35:05. > :35:08.inappropriate in the immediate aftermath this tragedy to come
:35:09. > :35:12.forward with a big political announcement like this. So that deal
:35:13. > :35:15.will be put back to next week which means that the Queen 's speech
:35:16. > :35:20.probably will be put back beyond that. That causes specific problems
:35:21. > :35:23.for Theresa May in terms of compounding the sense of almost
:35:24. > :35:28.drift gripping the government but also could push back exit
:35:29. > :35:33.negotiations. On the Grenfell Tower tragedy we had a statement from the
:35:34. > :35:36.Prime Minister. Just let me read you that. They said the Prime Ministers
:35:37. > :35:44.deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life at the Grenfell Tower and
:35:45. > :35:47.has been kept constantly updated on the situation. The Prime Minister,
:35:48. > :35:51.her thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident
:35:52. > :35:54.and the emergency services working tirelessly in very difficult
:35:55. > :35:57.circumstances. I can tell you that this afternoon there will be a
:35:58. > :36:01.meeting of the civil contingencies Secretariat, the body which
:36:02. > :36:06.basically pulls together all the information, what we know about the
:36:07. > :36:09.tragedy and also tries to provide any additional resources or support
:36:10. > :36:12.for those directly involved in trying to provide help. Namely the
:36:13. > :36:25.emergency services and local authorities. Thank you very much.
:36:26. > :36:28.I'm joined by the area Dean of Kensington, the Reverend Mark
:36:29. > :36:34.O'Donoghue. You have been here since the early hours. Local churches like
:36:35. > :36:38.Saint Clement have been open since 3:30am this morning receiving people
:36:39. > :36:42.evacuated from the houses and doing what communities of Jesus Christ
:36:43. > :36:46.always do in these situations, offering a shoulder to cry on, food
:36:47. > :36:50.and drink and it has just been wonderful to see that. It has been
:36:51. > :36:53.tragic to hear the stories of people feeling distressed about loved ones
:36:54. > :36:56.and their whereabouts. It has been awful to hear people anxious about
:36:57. > :37:04.whether they will have a home to go back to today or this week. And yet
:37:05. > :37:09.at the same time this wonderful moment of London life where a
:37:10. > :37:11.community that is massively diverse comes together and stands together.
:37:12. > :37:19.The difficult thing for the authorities right now is up to 600
:37:20. > :37:28.people could have been in there, we do not know how many. And it is
:37:29. > :37:29.establishing those numbers. And you have had people coming from church
:37:30. > :37:30.to church this morning. People asking if we know the whereabouts of
:37:31. > :37:32.their loved ones and it is desperate to see. We are trying to keep lists
:37:33. > :37:37.of people in the different centres to say, stay put because loved ones
:37:38. > :37:41.will come and find you. Do not go wandering about, stay put and let us
:37:42. > :37:44.compile lists so the Royal Borough can then do their work of
:37:45. > :37:51.coordinating efforts and so on. It just means that we can help in that
:37:52. > :37:54.small way to provide something of a sanctuary for the chaos outside. Can
:37:55. > :37:59.you describe the scene that major this morning. I walked up the street
:38:00. > :38:02.and saw a bright blue sky with a burning building and my mind
:38:03. > :38:07.immediately went to last summer when I was at the September 11 Museum
:38:08. > :38:11.aren't those photographs of that bright blue sky with a burning
:38:12. > :38:17.building. I went in and saw people upset and distraught and then the
:38:18. > :38:21.most amazing community response. Boots, Marks Spencer Tesco, all
:38:22. > :38:27.kinds of people collaborating to bring deliveries of food and
:38:28. > :38:31.provisions. Chefs saying that they will cook lunch for everyone. It is
:38:32. > :38:37.the best of London when people are hugely diverse backgrounds come to
:38:38. > :38:42.help. We had members of the local Muslim and Sikh communities,
:38:43. > :38:46.inundated with offers of help. It has been a wonderful sight of this
:38:47. > :38:50.fabulous community coming together. But meantime you have all these
:38:51. > :38:54.people who have lost their homes, lost absolutely everything. And
:38:55. > :38:58.you've been talking to many of them. There is some anger out there, you
:38:59. > :39:01.would have seen that already today and understandably. And Christians
:39:02. > :39:04.are passionate about truth and love and there will be questioned the
:39:05. > :39:08.need to be answered in the next few days and weeks. But also much loved
:39:09. > :39:13.but needs to be demonstrated not just today and in the next 48 hours
:39:14. > :39:16.but the days, weeks and months ahead. Thank you so much.
:39:17. > :39:21.An emergency number has been set up for anyone concerned for loved ones
:39:22. > :39:40.The Casualty Bureau is 0800 0961 233.
:39:41. > :39:47.Right now, let's go and have a look at the latest weather with Nick
:39:48. > :39:52.Miller. With high-pressure exerting its influence across England and
:39:53. > :39:56.Wales this afternoon, some warm sunshine for many, for Scotland and
:39:57. > :40:01.Northern Ireland, more brief, more clout, but despite that breeze, most
:40:02. > :40:04.places are dry. You can see the differences across the United
:40:05. > :40:08.Kingdom this afternoon on the satellite view. For England and
:40:09. > :40:12.Wales, some patchy cloud developing and especially into northern
:40:13. > :40:17.England, there may just be a patchy shower developing. There are some
:40:18. > :40:22.outbreaks of rain in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but elsewhere,
:40:23. > :40:26.mainly dry. For England and Wales, very high UV levels for some, very
:40:27. > :40:30.high pollen levels as well with temperatures peaking into the upper
:40:31. > :40:35.20s in south-east England but widely in the low to mid 20s. Just some
:40:36. > :40:39.coastal parts of Wales a little bit cooler than elsewhere. There is a
:40:40. > :40:43.hint of Pennine shower into this afternoon, but in Ireland, a view
:40:44. > :40:48.breaks in that cloud and temperatures pegged back into the
:40:49. > :40:53.teens. Scotland, a bit more breeze and outbreaks of rain in the far
:40:54. > :40:56.north-west. This afternoon into this evening, the Atlantic weather system
:40:57. > :41:03.will bring in more cloud and rain, with heavy bursts meeting the West
:41:04. > :41:09.of Scotland. Elsewhere, dry, and a muggy night especially across parts
:41:10. > :41:16.of the middle and south-east of England where we have seen today's
:41:17. > :41:20.IS temperatures. Tomorrow, rainbow push through initially in Scotland
:41:21. > :41:26.and Northern Ireland, with Sun pushing three later, but thundery
:41:27. > :41:32.showers possible later. Behind the hot weather in the south-east, fresh
:41:33. > :41:35.air pushes him, still sunny spells, but temperatures held down a little
:41:36. > :41:39.bit compared to today with the fresher feeling air. Into tomorrow
:41:40. > :41:44.evening, the showers continue into Scotland and Northern Ireland, maybe
:41:45. > :41:49.the odd one of the northern England and Wales. Friday's weather, broken
:41:50. > :42:00.cloud and sunshine in northern areas, some outbreaks of rain, more
:42:01. > :42:03.especially in north-west Scotland. Into the weekend, it is south-west
:42:04. > :42:06.Scotland where there will be more breeze and clout compared with
:42:07. > :42:15.elsewhere. Northern Ireland at north-west England cloudier times,
:42:16. > :42:17.there will be some sunshine in the south-east and temperatures heading
:42:18. > :42:20.towards the 30s in the warmest places by the time we get to Sunday.
:42:21. > :42:27.That is the forecast. Back to you, so be.
:42:28. > :42:32.Nick, thank you very much. We are told that at least six people have
:42:33. > :42:37.died but the death toll is expected to rise. At least 70 people are
:42:38. > :42:42.being treated in hospitals across London. The amount of London said
:42:43. > :42:46.that many people are unaccounted for when he was here a short time ago.
:42:47. > :42:51.This is what he said. The Fire Commissioner has taken me to see for
:42:52. > :42:58.myself when Val tower and it is extremely distressing and
:42:59. > :43:01.devastating. -- Grenfell Tower. Can I begin by saying that my thoughts
:43:02. > :43:05.and prayers as I am sure the thoughts and prayers of the entire
:43:06. > :43:08.country with the family and friends of those in the building that have
:43:09. > :43:14.been affected by this tragic fire. I also paid tribute to the emergency
:43:15. > :43:20.services, amazing as they are, from the Fire Service, we have more than
:43:21. > :43:26.250 firefighters here from the beginning, the commissioner, many
:43:27. > :43:32.mile walking -- many more working through the day that comes with
:43:33. > :43:37.neighbouring Fire Services helping us out through the day. More than 12
:43:38. > :43:42.hours since the fire broke out, the tower behind me is still alight. You
:43:43. > :43:45.can see the smoke pouring out of the windows. We will have continuing
:43:46. > :43:46.coverage throughout the afternoon