15/06/2017 London News

You are watching BBC Londoners. Welcome to viewers across the UK

joining us on the BBC News Channel. A day after the fire that wrecked

the tower block behind me there are hundreds of people desperately

trying to search for loved ones. They have posters, leaflets,

photographs, and they are desperate to find out what has happened to the

people who are missing. You can see the scale of the devastation and

understand why so many people are feeling so desperate from those who

have not got in touch. We are seeing the very best of London. A united

London, one London, where volunteers have come from all corners of the

city to give their time and effort they unite to the people who need it

most. We are seeing a mountain of the nations gather for those people

who have lost everything. Also today we have had politicians arriving,

the Prime Minister was held this morning and announced that will be

unlike independent inquiry into the fire itself. The mayor of London

came and also the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Local people have not

been frightened of telling the politicians about their anger as to

what happened here yesterday. They have been telling the politicians

that the living conditions for the poor in London are not good enough.

He lives in a block just yards from Grenfell Tower,

and has done for a year and a half with his young family.

I see that one. Baby at an happened. Who knows? Nobody knows. I am

worried. My kids did not sleep you. They have said they want to move.

The family have friends who are missing.

They did not find. They did not find these three but they found these

two. Like others, they have

followed appeals online. Like other families,

these children have friends One of my friends is in hospital.

She burned her hand. She is the same age, the same year, she goes to my

school. They are looking for her family. Her family are missing? Yes,

her dad, her mum and her little brother. They found her Brit

brother, he is in hospital. I have known her my whole life.

The family, like many in the blocks around this area, also

feel let down by the authorities over the state of their housing.

The fire has seen that anger brought to the surface.

As the mayor visited the scene today, he was not

Tell me what he's going to say. I want a year this rubbish. I want to

thank you... You have been brave to come here.

When he did speak, it was to praise the reaction

The response from the local community has been amazing. They

have come together and show their support for the victims, the

families and friends of all those affected by this horrific fire. We

have seen nobody. Understandably the residents are very angry and

concerned and have genuine questions that demand answers. Politicians, we

do not need them, no handshakes. The Labour leader, who visited

the scene earlier in the day, also got a taste

of that local anger. Absolute hell. They knew that that

blog was unsafe. They knew that. A lot of public anger. People have

said they weren't warned, people are said not enough was done and they

have said it is because the people were poor and if it was a blog for

millionaires perhaps this tragedy would not have happened. Everybody

deserves total protection from public regulations. Everybody

deserves to live in safety and have the same attention from public

services. Rich, poor, everything in between. The public has promised

local homes for all those affected. Like give you this assurance, we

will support every family that is affected. We will be doing that. The

Leader of the Opposition talks about the concerns that tenants have

expressed. We are hearing the same thing as well. They may be hearing

it. They will be judged on what they do about it. We can speak to the

deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council. Many residents here

feel the true attention to the fears and concerns of the devastating fire

taking place here. The words have come true. That the council ignore

them? Can I start before answering that question by saying how deeply

saddened everyone is by this tragic event? I the road from there and I

was on site from the early hours of yesterday morning. It was one of the

most shocking and horrendous things I and anyone who was there could

witness. We share the heartbreak of all those affected. We understand

your concerns. Please answer the question. I understand the question.

You will understand that so fire our efforts have been focused almost

entirely on trying to help the emergency services and then to

provide accommodation for older people who have been made homeless

in this event. -- all of the people. I have been unable to ask officers

to go through looking at every single email that has happened in

the past but I have been told and I believe that the specific issues

that have been raised by the Grenfell Tower action group have

been looked at by the tenant management organisation and answers

have been given. You do not know how they were looked at and what steps

were taken? You do not know what happened? At the moment I cannot say

more. The entire effort of this council has been dedicated towards

trying to help the people who have found themselves in this horrific

situation. We have not been trailing back looking backwards. We are

trying to deal with what is happening now. These are important

questions. We understand the anger. Let me put it to you, I am going to

ask you to look back, these are important questions local people

want answers to. There was a multi-million pound refurbishment of

the tower block behind me which was completed last year, a sprinkler

system was not part of a multi-million pound refurbishment,

which many people think was an oversight. Was it? No. We're going

to have a public inquiry to look into this. This council has been

asked by the investigating abilities not to speculate and talk about the

specifics around fire safety issues because it is part of a live very

thorough investigation that is going to happen. That will have to be

reviewed by that investigation. My understanding is that very few

councils and housing associations working on renovating 1960s and

1970s tower blocks have put in retro fitted sprinkler systems but that is

my current understanding. All of this has to be looked at in much

greater detail. I am sorry I cannot say more than that. I am glad you

understand that people will feel frustrated for not heeding the

answers to their questions, but thank you for your time. There are

thousands of people around the country who live in tower blocks

similar to this one. What are the procedure is to get out

off a building like this? It has been described

as a disaster waiting to happen, a horrendous loss of life which some

believe could have been prevented. Others fear could all too

easily happen again. This estate in Camden,

700 flats across four large tower blocks, it is up the road

from Grenfell Tower and similarly these blocks have been refurbished

with cladding Margaret has lived on the 20th

floor here for 40 years. I try not to think about it to be

quite honest because it can be There has been one fire on the 17th

floor and a couple of minor ones. Another resident, Roger,

has also been watching and worrying Do you have fire drills

and things like that? The advice on the board is the same

as the others had, it is stay put. Inside one of the blocks

the signs say if there Right at the top of this tower block

we have had a walk around and there are what appear

to be smoke detectors If there was a big fire

here the lifts would stop working so this is the only way

for residents to get out, There are 160 flats in this tower

block and this is the only We have been talking

to councils across London. All of them say they take fire

safety very seriously. They all regularly inspect

their council properties including tower blocks,

but some of them have ordered an urgent inspection

in light of what happened. From Nathaniel's flat on the top

floor you can see the charred This is extra, so from here

to here is what was added. A lot of these have had this extra

wall put on the outside, and if that is a fire hazard then

that is extremely worrying. We haven't really been

given any advice. There's a couple of signs,

but just common sense, not to use the lifts,

to take the stairs and get You can't go to

the roof or anything. One area of investigation may be

the cladding but fire safety experts You have to think of all the things,

and this will come out I am sure. In a statement this afternoon Ryden,

the company which carried out the work at Grenfell Tower,

said it met building and fire regulations and it was signed off

by building control. The company has worked with councils

across London for 40 years carrying out maintenance to blocks

in Westminster, Barnett, Thousands of residents need

answers about how this fire was caused and reassurance

that their homes are safe. A wall of condolence has been

put up near the scene, with hundreds of tributes

and messages left for loved ones. And that's where we can

join Victoria Hollins. This wall on the side of this church

and community centre tells the story of the community. Hundreds of

messages from all over the world, all sorts of different languages,

Spanish and Arabic amongst others. People coming to pay tribute to

bebop, writing on the wall, laying flowers. It has become a focal point

for belief as well as a focal point for those who are still missing.

There are posters of people who have not been found after the tragedy.

One family has been followed by our reporter who spend all day with them

trying to find a 12-year-old girl who has been missing since the fire.

Social media, also to family members, to get the word out,

12-year-old Jessica, almost 48 hours since a fire

engulfed her home on the 20th floor of Grenfell Tower, family

and friends still do not know what has happened to her.

We are making people take pictures and put them on social media

Among those searching is Jessica's cousin,

who has been worried ever since he saw the fire from his home

He was able to tell me that the building had been evacuated

However, they had lost contact with Jessica.

She had been separated in the evacuation.

They got a phone call from her and another phone

call ten minutes later where she was in a lot of panic.

Since then we have not had any contact with her.

Jessica's 20-year-old sister Melanie was too upset to speak to us.

Melanie's boyfriend is desperate for news.

Everyone is just sending the people that need

information to other people, like the police sending

you to the bureau, the bureau sending you to hospitals,

check hospitals, there's just so much miscommunication that

everyone does not know what they are doing.

It is causing frustration everywhere.

We are looking at the best and worst case scenarios

of her being in a hospital somewhere, possibly unconscious,

She's not going to be carrying any sort of ID,

Until they know what has happened to Jessica,

One of those caught up in the fire was just 16 and went on to take her

GCSEs the next day. What was it like being caught up in the fire? At

first we thought it was not really anything major. We only realised how

deep it was once our flat had caught fire. Your family was on the 13th

floor. How easy was it to escape? We were one of the first to leave so it

was easy. It was just in one flat so everything was controlled. Then...

Yeah. What happened after that? What did you see? It was just one fire

and within six minutes it had risen six floors above and it went up

uncontrollably. Could you believe how quickly it spread? No. I thought

it was controlled. I never thought I would not go back home. It must be

extremely difficult for you standing looking up towards your home that

has disappeared. Yes, everything has gone. What was it that drove you to

take your GCSE the next day and how was it? I am going to take chemistry

for A-level and I had a chemistry GCSE so I thought it was worth doing

for my future. Thank you. If there are people who are still worried

about missing relatives and of course there are dozens of them,

there is a police casualty bureau number that you can call.

It was a long night last night for many Londoners,

some of whom slept in shelters or temporary accommodation.

And it wasn't just those who had to flee the tower block,

many residents were forced to evacuate neighbouring properties.

Thomas Magill has been hearing their stories.

A friend of mine witnessed our friend on the 26th floor

Bedding down for the night, these are just some of the hundreds

of residents evacuated with nothing as yesterday's fire tore

through Grenfell Tower metres from their homes.

They said I was not allowed to take anything with me,

which was fair enough, but they told me to leave

the cat and I said I can't, because it is my daughter's cat,

I have been here for a couple of hours, a few hours.

A bit upsetting, but to be honest I am not too sure,

This is a community displaced and devastated.

We also met this woman and her three children who were woken

by the police in the early hours of the morning.

Their school is the one that was right next to the building.

Obviously I am just in a state of shock at the moment.

This family is amongst dozens who are either not allowed to return

home or who have had their home destroyed in this horrific fire

but amongst the stories of devastation have been ones

of bravery, compassion and generosity.

Three things this community is going to need a lot

It did not take long for that goodwill to kick in with people

arriving from all over the country to muck in and help

It is calm and it is warm and generous and people

are working hard and being very supportive of each other and

generally there's a feeling of just real strength at this stage.

This woman and her family are grateful for their help

and thankful that unlike so many others they are all together.

I have been very fortunate to be able to pick up my kids

These people, we do not know their situation at the moment.

We are hearing so many things going on.

That is likely to continue as the agonising search for missing

Nothing prepares you for the devastation until you stand here and

look at it. When you look at that building it really is quite

extraordinary and takes your breath away, so imagine what it must be

like for people in the area who witnessed the fire, people who were

inside the building at the time, people who were part of the

emergency services who have had to deal with trying to get people to

safety. Extraordinary. The work of the fire Brigade is very

much supported by the people of London.

London's fire commissioner spoke earlier about her concerns

I am concerned longer term about the mental

impact on a lot of people who were here because it was

an unprecedented event and people saw and heard things on a scale

Going forward one of my main concerns for my firefighters

is for their well-being and doing trauma and counselling for them.

Earlier I spoke to the Fire Brigades Union about the support those

The London Fire Brigade, in conjunction with the Fire

Brigades Union in London, agreed for the firefighters to be

taken to Paddington fire station where the counselling and well-being

service, a service run by the London Fire Brigade

for specifically traumatic events, was set up.

So every firefighter who was in attendance at this

incident was seen by the counselling and well-being service.

The impact of the trauma, that can be quite profound, can't it?

The sights that the members of the Fire Brigades Union in London

have seen at a traumatic event of this nature.

We have had previous events ranging from the Croydon tram incident

to the Westminster Bridge attack and Borough market as well

and firefighters were exposed to scenes that they did not expect

Will the support of the firefighters be ongoing?

You do not get over something like this in one night.

How long will the support be there for?

There is no telling how long it is going to last

The support needs to be there for entirety and for

The unfortunate thing is that under the cuts previously

when Boris Johnson was mayor we suffered extreme cuts

to the Fire Service, the counselling service was reduced

Londoners universally have a huge amount of respect and time

for the fantastic work that firefighters do.

Does that make a difference to firefighters, knowing

Yes, of course it does, and we really value that support.

The Fire Brigades Union values that support,

but we need to ensure that the right and proper counselling and welfare

is there for firefighters, after especially these events

and all other events that firefighters are exposed

The incredible work of firefighters which has been supported by the

people of London. They have managed to get the fire out of that burning

building. It was burning and this morning. It is not completely out

but emergency services doing their best to keep things safe. Our

reporter is that one of the donation centres.

I am at Notting Hill Methodist Church which has become a focal

point for the motion that the community feels and the set focal

point or one of them for the generosity of Londoners because the

question was what can we do to help? They have been inundated with people

bringing blankets, clothes, toiletries. The message is thank you

but we have enough. The big difficulty is distributing its to

the people who need it. They have a local community failed here. The

system is to have runners going from the church to the sports centre

where Iraq some of the displaced families are staying, as steam them

what they need and coming back to see if they have it. There's a short

list of things people are looking and sanitisers, hear bands, prayer

mats, underwear and pyjamas. At the moment they say thank you but they

have enough. What can we do? There have been several funds set up.

Collective just giving funds raised ?1.6 million and 24 hours and I

expect that number is still growing. This has been a focal point for the

emotion that has been running high in the community here and there is a

vigil here this evening in about an hour to reflect on the events. I

will be back during the Ten O'Clock News on BBC One. I am going to leave

you with some moving images and some messages from the public.

We had some sunshine today. A week weather front has moved through. It

will produce fresher conditions for tomorrow. The heat is said to peak

at 30 degrees on Sunday and possibly into Monday. High pressure will stay

with us over the next few days with dry weather in the story. The good

thing is tonight will be more comfortable for sleeping, not humid.

It will be a quiet night, a light breeze and temperatures sitting

10-14 tomorrow morning. Plenty of sunshine to start our day. The

sunshine stays with us. Fairweather ploughed into the afternoon. The

breeze swinging to north-westerly which will mean a slightly fresher

feel if you are out and about. Temperatures will peak at around

21-23 . That is low 70s. The dry 21-23 . That is low 70s. The dry

story is set to continue. If you are out and about on Friday it will be

pretty quiet. High pressure is still with us in the same place across

England and Wells for Saturday. Will continue to be a good deal of dry

weather, sunshine coming through. The heat will start to build. We

could potentially see the high 20s likely as we go into Saturday

afternoon, 82 Fahrenheit. It is going to be hot. UV levels are going

to be high. Problem is also going to be high. Peter said to build into

Sunday. I will leave you with a summary to the weekend. The heat is

likely to stay with us into Monday as well. As the humidity built we

could see than the downpours