14/06/2017 BBC News at One

The London tower block engulfed by fire -

at least six people have been killed but the death toll is expected to

Up to 600 people lived here - the blaze broke out just before 1am

No need to ring 999, there is a dedicated line for this incident.

Eyewitnesses say they saw people trapped in their flats -

shouting from their windows - trying to throw their

It was so dark and so much smoke was there.

There was people running down the stairs, some people had luggage,

There was no sound of alarm or bells whatsoever.

Mothers have come out and have lost their children, firefighters have

come out injured. We do not know if there are even going to come out

safe. The tower is still burning 12 hours

later - firefighters are still The Mayor of London says a lot

of people are unaccounted for. Our focus now is search and rescue,

although we're going to move to - Of course we've got to make sure

that in the meantime we provide shelter to those who've had

to flee their homes. Grenfell Tower had just been

refurbished in the last year - at a cost of ?10 million -

residents say they were astonished It is not clear what started the

fire. The London Fire Brigade chief says in 29 years firefighting she

has never seen like it. On BBC London we hear from the

tenants who say they ignored safety advice to flee from the building

with their lives. A huge fire is still burning

in this residential tower Up to six hundred people may

have been in the flats there when the blaze broke out just

before one o'clock this morning. Six people are known to have died -

though at this stage we have no idea Around 70 people are being treated

in hospitals across London and a major incident

has been declared. Residents who escaped

from Grenfell Tower spoke of people trapped in their homes -

screaming for help, some holding children from the windows,

others jumping from higher floors. 40 fire engines and 200

firefighters have been What caused it and why it spread

so rapidly is unknown. The Prime Minister has said

she is "deeply saddened Our first report is

from Richard Lister - you may find some of the images

in his report distressing. This 27 story block,

home to hundreds of people, Residents waking up to smoke and

panic. I could hear shouting and screaming, people saying it is

getting bigger. There was smoke everywhere. Cladding falling off the

block of that was on fire. People screaming. You could see people at

their windows waving and just wanting someone to come and rescue

them from their flat. It was just awful. Neighbours came desperate to

help out with flaming debris falling from the tower block, their lives

were also at risk. No need to ring 999, there is a

dedicated line for this incident. On the ground police closed the nearby

a 40 road, some 200 firefighters were brought in and led many

residents to safety. More than 50 people were taken to hospital and as

it began to get light it was clear there was still people trapped in

the building. What floor are you on? Seven. As the tower block burned

people recalled the horror of what they had seen. People screaming,

jumping out on fire, climbing out on ropes that they had made from bed

sheets, just a complete nightmare. People were throwing the kids are

saying just save my children. The Fire Brigade and ambulance and

police could do nothing. They could not get in. They just told them to

stay where they are, we will come and get you. Things quickly

escalated. Everyone is in shock. People are searching for people with

pictures. Many kids from the School are missing. There were a lot of

young kids and old people living in the block. It went right up, no

stopping it. Fire crews using breathing apparatus are still trying

to search the building. But the fire was blazing all morning and it is a

slow and dangerous task. The final number of casualties is still

unclear. I'm very sad to confirmed they have been a number of

fatalities. I cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size

and complexity of this building and clearly it would be wrong for me to

speculate further. Equally the cause of the fire is not known at this

stage. The incident that occurred overnight is truly shocking. It is

going to take a period of time before we truly understand what has

occurred, why it has occurred and the investigation will be complex

and as you'd expect, thorough. The tower block is now a smoking ruin.

It should've been one of the safest in the borough was a multi-million

pound refurbishment completed last year. 125 families are now homeless

and the priority for the local authorities to deal with is that

homelessness. We need to make sure we provide shelter for those who had

to flee their homes and also the neighbouring properties are

affected. Other questions, reasonable questions that the

residents across the country will have who live in tower blocks and we

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

shock, the immediate aftermath is horrific enough but there will be a

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

seen but today, I cannot even describe it. Mothers that have come

out and lost their children. Firefighters that have come out

injured. That we do not know if they're even going to come out

safely. People have lost their homes, children have seen things,

people jumping out of the window. We just need to rebuild now as

community. As the search for casualties continues, so does the

search for answers. What led to this buyer and crucially how did it

spread so quickly in a newly modernised block. Destroying homes,

traumatising families, and taking an unknown number of lives. Richard

Lister, BBC News. Nick Paget Brown is the leader of the council. You

have been here since three o'clock this morning. Truly horrifying what

has happened. Truly horrifying. It is a terrible day in the history of

Kensington. I have never seen a fire like this. My thoughts go out to all

those who have lost relatives, cannot find their friends and

relatives or who have been rendered homeless. Clearly it is the most

terrible tragedy. I'm very grateful to the local community for the

support they have given to people who've lost their homes. And for the

emergency services for the wonderful work they have done and support from

neighbouring authorities, housing associations and others offering

accommodation to people tonight. What has shocked people was the

speed with which the blaze spread. One eyewitness said within half an

hour of it catching fire the whole tower was like. I think that is

right, when I arrived the flames were already engulfing several

stories and it was moving very quickly. So there needs to be a

investigation into why the fire started and why it spread so

quickly. Throughout the building. It has just been refurbished, you're

here for the reopening just last year. What have they been doing?

There was a refurbishment, we are refurbishing many of the 1960s,

1970s the States. To improve the heating and hot water systems and

install better Windows and improved insulation and make them more energy

efficient. There was a major refurbishment with new cladding on

the outside and clearly we will need to look at the standards that were

applied. Whether those were followed and met. And that is what we will be

doing. And presumably you will need to look at other buildings also

undergoing refurbishment. Yes I think there are issues about towers

and how they are refurbished and what materials are used and what

warnings and measures are in place for people to evacuate the building.

And we will need to have a look at all of that. But that is for the

future, tonight my concern is to ensure that the residents have

somewhere to stay. Thank you. To let you know where we are,

Grenfell Tower is in west London, close to some of London's busiest

transport routes, in North Kensington, close to be a 40

Westway, a main route into West London.

We can join now our correspondent Wyre Davies who has a vantage point,

he has been watching proceedings from a place close by. Yes, indeed,

I am on the other side of the building effectively to you and we

are just on the edge of the exclusion zone. Police and security

services are keeping people well back from here because there is a

lot of concern about the integrity of the building itself. Throughout

the night and the morning, we have seen huge pieces of cladding falling

off the building. In the last couple of hours, there was a lot of concern

because a new seat of fire and flame cooked or cold again right in the

middle of the building, making it difficult for the Fire Service to

get to. In the meantime, they have brought in this huge unmanned crane

and that is now chucking out tonnes and gallons of water right into the

middle of the building itself. As you can see, the very top of the

building, there is still a very fierce fire still ablaze and that is

causing concern. There were some array -- heroic stories earlier on

firefighters going into the building as residents were fleeing but there

were concerns about the safety of the firefighters themselves. Being

able to get that unmanned crane adjacent to the building, you can

see huge bits of masonry falling off now. It is far too dangerous for the

crews to get close now Bobby and manned crane is doing a good job of

putting up the fire. I spoke to a local resident this morning and she

said the thing that surprised how was how quickly the fire spread

upwards from the middle of the buyer -- from the middle of the tower

itself. We know six people have died already and when the buyer is out,

there will be a recovery operation and the theories there will be

perhaps many more fatalities, perhaps many more people trapped in

the top stories of the building. We have been contacted today by a group

calling themselves the Grenfell action group, a group from the tower

themselves, a group who say they have complained many times over

recent years about fire risk in the building itself. Of course those

kinds of things will come out in the enquiry which will undoubtedly

happen but the big challenge remained several hours after this

fire started to put out the fire itself. Back to you. Well, it is the

smell that really hits you when you first arrive here and also just

everywhere around, up to a quarter of a mile away, there are charged

bits of what must be the cladding that has loan at the building during

the fire overnight. Throughout the streets, big groups of people are

gathering, handing out water to anyone who wants one. Also handing

out food, I met an eyewitness who had come here with armfuls of

clothes, going to all of the centres that have opened up. She said so

many people have given so much already that a lot of these centres

were literally turning people away. Lots of questions about what

happened last night but also questions about what is going to

happen to the people who live in this tower block, where they are

going to go now. Tom Burridge is that one of the police cordons. Tom.

I have been speaking to residents this morning and people said they

have witnessed things they never thought they would. People hearing

the screams of children trapped in the building, witnessing presidents

jump from several floors up. I spoke to a man who spoke on the phone to

his cousin who was trapped inside with her two-year-old son. The phone

line went dead at 4am and he didn't know when I spoke to him what had

happened to her cousin or her son. Then there was the remarkable story

of a woman who apparently through her baby out of the window several

floors up down to residents who had made a makeshift parachute below. We

believe the baby survived but we don't know what happened to his

mother. Teheran many stories of survival but there are many more sad

stories -- there are many stories of survival but there are many more sad

stories of those who died. Grief when it is raw. This area is known

for London's Notting Hill Carnival. Today, struggling to understand how

a fire in Taiwan's home could burn down a whole block of flats with

such a devastating effect. This man lived there. There was so much

smoke, people with luggage, so much confusion. There was no sound of

fire alarm bells whatsoever. This was really horrific. There was a man

who threw two of his children, people jumping out. And this lady

told us a friend and her three children were trapped high up in the

building. A friend told me they have been looking for her since 2am and

they couldn't find anything. They just told me to go to hospital and

as you have seen, we don't know nothing that happened. We don't know

if they are alive or dead. I got the extinguisher and try to put it out

and it didn't work. We had no chance. The kitchen started to fill

with smoke, so I had to run, grab my telephone and my passport and they

are the only things I have at the moment. When the left-hand side of

the building was on fire, I remember seeing on the right-hand side, I

remember seeing what I could see was a woman and a young child, a young

man or something, putting their heads out of the window. This

community woke to a nightmare. Whether an accident or something

more sinister, this is for all the wrong reasons so much more than a

normal day. People have come out into the street this morning,

disbelief, some anger too. There are the charred remains of the building

all over the streets here, it is lifted, and there is a stench of the

fire in the air. And this is a page of someone's maths homework. In no

time, people rallied around. Handing out and collecting, helping as they

could. Please do spread the word. If people just come down, into their

pockets, that would be amazing. People have just come out of their

houses, out of their homes. Really via social media, really, and the

response is amazing. It's a very caring team in there. We were here

two hours ago leaving and we are back, so many more people. There

were also small moments of relief and joy among all the sadness. I

have just found out from a very good friend, her daughter was separated

from her, we have just got news that, thank God, she has been found.

It is just really, it is unbelievable. She has been found.

She is in a hospital though. There was plenty of confusion about how

many people have been killed, whether people this morning were

still trapped. From the rear -- the rumours circling among the residents

here, it doesn't sound good. As I walked up here, you could be

forgiven for thinking that a lot of people were moving home, they

weren't, they were carrying huge amounts of personal belongings, I

saw people with duvets, clothes, and they were taking them to be

survivors, people who have probably lost everything overnight. But of

course a lot of the attention will be on the victims of this tragedy,

those who have died, and you only have to look at the charred remains

of that building behind me in the distance there to get a sense of how

long it's going to take this investigation and to establish

exactly how many people have died. Tom Burridge, thank you very much. I

am here with one of the residents who has lost absolutely everything.

Everything. Everything we own. And you were incredibly lucky? You were

on the seventh floor. The fire broke out on the fourth floor and ice

melted by chance. I was away, everyone else was asleep. The fire

alarms going off wouldn't have way can anyone. They should really have

been allowed racket. So when you looked through the door? I saw the

smoke in the corridor, straightaway I panicked, I saw my Spanish

neighbours and I saw firemen panicking going, get out, get out. I

said I have got my girl and my Mrs in there. I ran back in, that my

dressing gown over my little girl's base, got my girlfriend out, as we

ran down, it was getting darker and darker, horrifying. We managed to

get out, fresh air, we looked at the building and it was involved, like

it had been on fire for hours. I was looking at the top end there was a

silhouette of three kids banging on the window. Next thing you know,

bang, it exploded and the pre-silhouettes had gone. Someone

else told me there were someone on the refund they saw them jump off.

It is absolutely horrendous. It is not what you expect in the 21st

century. No, and the fire regulations in there must be

resourced, because it just didn't happen. It spread so fast. The fire

spread so quickly. There was a fire in a tower nearby recently and it

was segregated, the fire was stopped in one place. Proper fire

regulations. This just went up and was even spitting over into the

school. There were lots of fire engines and about 40 police vans but

only two fire engines sprang at the time. People up on the 23rd floor

who couldn't get out. The firefighters couldn't get up that

far because it was so hot so quickly. It is extraordinary because

the advice a lot of people were told was to stay in your home? Yes, you

stay in there with a wet towel by your door and you will be rescued

within the hour. The flats are designed for that but there was no

way I was going to wait an hour with the aggressiveness of the fire. What

happens to you now? You have lost everything. We have got to wait for

emergency housing and then we have to be everything again. But you are

alive and your stepdaughter and girlfriend. Yes, God willing. I just

feel sorry for everybody who has perished and their families. The

people crying outside, there is so much tragedy and someone has got to

answer for this, someone has got to be held responsible. An absolutely

horrific situation. Thank you very much for speaking to us though. We

know that around 70 people are being treated in hospitals across London

now. Helen Ali is that Chelsea and Westminster Hospital nearby. That's

right, so be. We are around three miles or so away from where you are.

This is one of London's busiest hospitals, Chelsea and Westminster,

it has its own accident and emergency department, but we know

that a major incident was triggered here in the early hours of this

morning and the London ambulance brought in 25 patients who were

admitted here to this hospital and, crucially, at this hospital they

have got a specialist burns unit which is available to treat both

children and adults and I am told within the most of the early

injured, they will have been brought to this hospital here. -- the most

severely injured. They have got dedicated burns consultants,

specialist nurses and also cook psychologists because not only will

they need medical support, but also we have heard those harrowing

accounts from eyewitnesses throughout this morning and the

injured at this hospital and the other for hospitals will need to

have also that psychological support to help them deal with what they

went through last night. Helen Ali at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital,

thank you. Let's go to another nearby hospital that has been taking

the injured. Jane Draper is that St Mary's in Paddington. That's right.

16 patients here, survivors of the buyer, three of whom are being

treated are critically injured and that another nearby hospital in West

London, and other for patience, none of those are critical. I understand

that all of the injured patients across London are being treated for

the effects of inhaling smoke. None of the injured survivors suffered

burns, apparently. The hospital here displayed a major incident in the

middle of the night was that there have been distressing scenes here. I

spoke to one woman searching for a friend of hers, a mother of three

who lived on the 20th floor of the tower block. We have heard here how

Dove rolled up their sleeves and came in off duty. The trust's

medical duty -- medical director briefed reporters earlier. We have

for patients, none of whom are critical. I am very proud of the

fantastic response from our staff, both those on duty and those who

came in as a response to the major incident protocol. We continue to

care for patients who are primarily suffering from the effects of smoke

inhalation. Along with the emergency services and other receiving

hospitals, we are ensuring we are doing everything we can to care for

and support those affected by this dreadful incident. Our accident and

emergency department at both hospitals remain busy and we are

asking members of the public to attend only if it is an emergency.

We are requesting that where possible they attend their local

walk-in centres or their general practice. We are trying to see as

many patents with scheduled appointment as possible during this

time. And it's the third time in three months that this hospital,

this NHS hospital has been put to the test. They also treated patients

here who were caught up in the Westminster Bridge attack at the end

of March and more recently in the London Bridge attack. So this has

been another very difficult, very testing morning for the staff here.

Sophie. Jane, thank you very much. Well, we have no idea what caused

this place, we just know it took hold incredibly quickly, within 30,

35 minutes or so, according to eyewitnesses. We know it had been

recently refurbished, only reopened last year. But the London Fire

Brigade chief has already said she's seen many tower block fires in her

time but she has never seen anything like this. Simon Gompertz reports.

Shocked witnesses talked about the speed at which the Grenfell Tower

fire spread, there did seem to envelop the 24 story building in

just 30 minutes. Investigators will be asking how that could have

happened. I was taking videos at 1:30am and it was right from the

bottom straight to the top and moving across the building. The

movement of the fire across the entire building took no more than

half an hour. The tower was built in 1973 but had an extensive

refurbishment last year and attention is already focusing on the

rainproof cladding which was added on the outside to boost integration.

The worry and this is just speculation at the moment, but the

fire might have spread across it. The cladding system is there to

prevent water coming into the building but it also creates a

cavity around the back between the outside pace of the building and the

concrete structure. It should have fire stops at each floor level or

should be noncombustible to prevent it acting as a chimney and allowing

the fire to spread. Residents had more concerned that the advice was

to remain behind the fire retardant doors of their flats rather than

escape, to stay put. And that there was no central fire alarm system.

These practices which depend on fire being containable in one area of a

building. The residents action group said it flag dangers but all

warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted a catastrophe like this

was inevitable in just a matter of time. There are a number of tower

blocks across London and across the country and responsibility lies with

the local authority or private management companies and they need

to make sure that tower blocks are safe. I will be asking questions

raised by the fire last night. The kind of questions your viewers are

asking, that are not unreasonably being asked by the residents.

Answers will be crucial to make sure the other tower blocks are not in

danger and to address worries that fire officers might not have had

easy access to the building. Tower blocks are designed to avoid this

kind of thing happening, firefighters normally would fight a

fire like this from the inside, going up the fire escape and

fighting using internal mains and so on and clearly that has not been

possible in this case. The company in charge of the refurbishment last

year, Taiwan, told BBC they met all required building control, fire

regulation and health and safety standards and they fully support

enquiries into the fire. But to avoid further catastrophic fires

respected fire protection Association says the increasing use

of combustible materials in construction needs to be addressed.

That is likely to be a major focus for investigators. Well so many

questions and very few answers. The investigation of course will begin,.

Our Science Editor David Shukman is in our central London newsroom.

A number of fire safety experts we spoke to this one have been

reluctant to go on record about the possible cause because there are so

worried about causing offence. But one major factor is this. British

tower blocks are basically designed with what is called a passive safety

system in other words the building designed to contain a fire if there

is one in a particular corner of the building. They should not spread.

Clearly there will be a major set of questions about how it was possible

for the fire to spread across the building and vertically and in such

incredible speed. Another major focus of any investigation will look

at the cladding. We heard about how chunks of this cladding from the

outside the building were seen on fire and falling to the ground. A

lot of questions will be raised about that. The point of cladding is

if you have an old 1970s tower block like this, it is quite a good

solution to improve its insulation and improve its looks, by fitting

panels to the outside. Well if you look around the world we have seen a

number of incidents of tower blocks with cladding fitted to them burning

up and causing a great deal of distress and damage and fatalities.

A key focus of this now will be, it is the cladding, what is contained

in it, resistant enough to fire. Particularly at those very high

temperatures you get when a fire gets completely out of control. So

the passive safety system failing, that is one major area, and what

role the cladding played in this disaster. Thank you very much. Well

to people who have lived in this area all the lives join me now. Sam

Proctor and Monica Bryant. Really unbelievably shocking. You're

wearing a mask because there is still smoke around. There's a lot of

shrapnel everywhere. It is bad. And it is really sad. You both know

people who live there first one person, we do know if he's OK and

another we just found out he is OK. Then another friend of mine died. A

friend of mine, and anti, children and uncle who died as well. You know

that for sure? Yes. It is so shocking to see what has happened

and the absolute panic during the night. The thing that is more

shocking is apparently we were told emergency services could not get

into the building. That is why it escalated to the point where it is

still on fire now. Loads of hours later. And there are three other

buildings underneath. They tried to modernise it, they should have left

it. New kitchens or whatever. They put a plastic cladding over it. And

then one of the other neighbours said they saw the plastic cladding

going up. Or an explosion happened with the fridge and then the plastic

cladding was all coming off. Certainly this whole area covered

with this black, charcoal debris. We just do not know what has happened

at the moment. There is a lot of shock and angry people here as well.

A lot of anger. They have just thrown up these new places and

they're just not doing them properly. It has happened too

quickly. They're building and putting in the kitchen is too

quickly and then you have problems. There has been a lot of touring and

throwing with the council apparently about the safety of the building

before this happened. And also the advice given to people in the event

of fire. Thein Sein, stay put. I had never heard that, but maybe because

the emergency services could not get to them. They said stay in and shut

the door. But they will not have known how severe it was. They are

doing their best. We must just say, you say you've lived here all your

lives but the response of the community has been incredible. I

could not walk for people handing out food and water. Soft toys and

stuffer babies. We have all stepped together and it is good to see it.

Sad, but good. -- stuff for babies. Very sad for your friend and I hope

everyone is found. Thank you very much.

Because of events here overnight, political business has been put on

hold. Let's go to Westminster now and Norman Smith.

We heard from the Prime Minister short time ago. I suspect in the

aftermath of such a national tragedy many people will expect there would

be some kind of common statement to give the MPs a chance to express

their horror and sadness at what has happened and also to begin to ask

those many questions about fire safety, building regulations, local

authority oversight and so on. That will not happen and the reason is

Wilmot is because frankly of the current uncertainty gripping

Westminster. Because MPs cannot begin their business again until the

government can produce its Queen 's speech. Without this morning that

that is almost certainly not going to be delayed because the DUP the

two ministers are trying to strike a deal of the view it would simply be

inappropriate in the immediate aftermath this tragedy to come

forward with a big political announcement like this. So that deal

will be put back to next week which means that the Queen 's speech

probably will be put back beyond that. That causes specific problems

for Theresa May in terms of compounding the sense of almost

drift gripping the government but also could push back exit

negotiations. On the Grenfell Tower tragedy we had a statement from the

Prime Minister. Just let me read you that. They said the Prime Ministers

deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life at the Grenfell Tower and

has been kept constantly updated on the situation. The Prime Minister,

her thoughts are with all those affected by the terrible incident

and the emergency services working tirelessly in very difficult

circumstances. I can tell you that this afternoon there will be a

meeting of the civil contingencies Secretariat, the body which

basically pulls together all the information, what we know about the

tragedy and also tries to provide any additional resources or support

for those directly involved in trying to provide help. Namely the

emergency services and local authorities. Thank you very much.

I'm joined by the area Dean of Kensington, the Reverend Mark

O'Donoghue. You have been here since the early hours. Local churches like

Saint Clement have been open since 3:30am this morning receiving people

evacuated from the houses and doing what communities of Jesus Christ

always do in these situations, offering a shoulder to cry on, food

and drink and it has just been wonderful to see that. It has been

tragic to hear the stories of people feeling distressed about loved ones

and their whereabouts. It has been awful to hear people anxious about

whether they will have a home to go back to today or this week. And yet

at the same time this wonderful moment of London life where a

community that is massively diverse comes together and stands together.

The difficult thing for the authorities right now is up to 600

people could have been in there, we do not know how many. And it is

establishing those numbers. And you have had people coming from church

to church this morning. People asking if we know the whereabouts of

their loved ones and it is desperate to see. We are trying to keep lists

of people in the different centres to say, stay put because loved ones

will come and find you. Do not go wandering about, stay put and let us

compile lists so the Royal Borough can then do their work of

coordinating efforts and so on. It just means that we can help in that

small way to provide something of a sanctuary for the chaos outside. Can

you describe the scene that major this morning. I walked up the street

and saw a bright blue sky with a burning building and my mind

immediately went to last summer when I was at the September 11 Museum

aren't those photographs of that bright blue sky with a burning

building. I went in and saw people upset and distraught and then the

most amazing community response. Boots, Marks Spencer Tesco, all

kinds of people collaborating to bring deliveries of food and

provisions. Chefs saying that they will cook lunch for everyone. It is

the best of London when people are hugely diverse backgrounds come to

help. We had members of the local Muslim and Sikh communities,

inundated with offers of help. It has been a wonderful sight of this

fabulous community coming together. But meantime you have all these

people who have lost their homes, lost absolutely everything. And

you've been talking to many of them. There is some anger out there, you

would have seen that already today and understandably. And Christians

are passionate about truth and love and there will be questioned the

need to be answered in the next few days and weeks. But also much loved

but needs to be demonstrated not just today and in the next 48 hours

but the days, weeks and months ahead. Thank you so much.

An emergency number has been set up for anyone concerned for loved ones

The Casualty Bureau is 0800 0961 233.

Right now, let's go and have a look at the latest weather with Nick

Miller. With high-pressure exerting its influence across England and

Wales this afternoon, some warm sunshine for many, for Scotland and

Northern Ireland, more brief, more clout, but despite that breeze, most

places are dry. You can see the differences across the United

Kingdom this afternoon on the satellite view. For England and

Wales, some patchy cloud developing and especially into northern

England, there may just be a patchy shower developing. There are some

outbreaks of rain in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but elsewhere,

mainly dry. For England and Wales, very high UV levels for some, very

high pollen levels as well with temperatures peaking into the upper

20s in south-east England but widely in the low to mid 20s. Just some

coastal parts of Wales a little bit cooler than elsewhere. There is a

hint of Pennine shower into this afternoon, but in Ireland, a view

breaks in that cloud and temperatures pegged back into the

teens. Scotland, a bit more breeze and outbreaks of rain in the far

north-west. This afternoon into this evening, the Atlantic weather system

will bring in more cloud and rain, with heavy bursts meeting the West

of Scotland. Elsewhere, dry, and a muggy night especially across parts

of the middle and south-east of England where we have seen today's

IS temperatures. Tomorrow, rainbow push through initially in Scotland

and Northern Ireland, with Sun pushing three later, but thundery

showers possible later. Behind the hot weather in the south-east, fresh

air pushes him, still sunny spells, but temperatures held down a little

bit compared to today with the fresher feeling air. Into tomorrow

evening, the showers continue into Scotland and Northern Ireland, maybe

the odd one of the northern England and Wales. Friday's weather, broken

cloud and sunshine in northern areas, some outbreaks of rain, more

especially in north-west Scotland. Into the weekend, it is south-west

Scotland where there will be more breeze and clout compared with

elsewhere. Northern Ireland at north-west England cloudier times,

there will be some sunshine in the south-east and temperatures heading

towards the 30s in the warmest places by the time we get to Sunday.

That is the forecast. Back to you, so be.

Nick, thank you very much. We are told that at least six people have

died but the death toll is expected to rise. At least 70 people are

being treated in hospitals across London. The amount of London said

that many people are unaccounted for when he was here a short time ago.

This is what he said. The Fire Commissioner has taken me to see for

myself when Val tower and it is extremely distressing and

devastating. -- Grenfell Tower. Can I begin by saying that my thoughts

and prayers as I am sure the thoughts and prayers of the entire

country with the family and friends of those in the building that have

been affected by this tragic fire. I also paid tribute to the emergency

services, amazing as they are, from the Fire Service, we have more than

250 firefighters here from the beginning, the commissioner, many

mile walking -- many more working through the day that comes with

neighbouring Fire Services helping us out through the day. More than 12

hours since the fire broke out, the tower behind me is still alight. You

can see the smoke pouring out of the windows. We will have continuing

coverage throughout the afternoon