At least 12 dead in massive London high-rise blaze

LONDON, UK (NEWS 1130) – London’s Metropolitan Police say at least 12 people have died in the devastating fire that engulfed a west London apartment block.

The number of fatalities is expected to rise and Steve Apter with the London Fire Brigade says the recovery process is now underway.

The fire raced through a high-rise apartment building in west London early Wednesday, sending at least 74 people to hospitals, emergency officials said.

Flames shot from windows all the way up the side of the 27-story Grenfell Tower in North Kensington as firefighters battled the blaze, and a plume of smoke could be seen for several miles.

It was not clear if residents were trapped, but people at the scene spoke of being unable to reach friends and family who had been inside. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Residents said it appeared to start in an apartment on a lower floor and spread upward quickly.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter that a major incident had been declared.

The blaze started around 1 a.m. London time, and smoke was still pouring from the building more than six hours later.

Nassima Boutrig, who lives opposite the building, said she was awakened by sirens and smoke so thick that it filled her home as well.

“We saw the people screaming,” she said. “A lot of people said ‘Help, help, help.’ The fire brigade could only help downstairs. It was fire up, up, up. They couldn’t stop the fire.”

Boutrig said her friend’s brother, wife and children lived in the building and that her friend was waiting to find out if they were OK.

Ambulances and firetrucks filled the streets around the building, which is located in a diverse, working class area of London. People who live nearby were evacuated, some carrying pets in their arms as they left. Volunteers handed out bottled water.

Helicopters hovered overhead and smoke hung over the scene. Exhausted firefighters sprawled on the pavement just inside the police cordon, drinking water from plastic bottles.

 

George Clarke told Radio 5 Live that he was covered in ash even though he was 100 metres from the scene.

He said he saw people waving flashlights from the top levels of the building and saw rescuers “doing an incredible job” trying to get people out.

Tim Downie, who lives not far away, told Britain’s Press Association that he feared the building could collapse. He said he heard sirens, helicopters and shouting and then saw the building engulfed in flames.

“It’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen. I just hope they have got everyone out,” he said. “People have been bringing water, clothes, anything they’ve got to help, out to the cordon.”

Vancouver Fire Chief Jonathan Gormick weighs in on possibility of a massive fire on the West Coast

As crews continue to battle the massive inferno in the UK, a local fire department says the possibility of something similar happening here is unlikely.

Chief Jonathan Gormick calls images of the fire astonishing and tragic to see.

However, when it comes to local infrastructure, he says what we have in our favour – especially on the west coast – is how new most of our construction is.

“Our fire codes are far more advanced to some parts of Europe and if you look at the statistics the number of fire deaths that we have is much much lower.”

Gormick adds a fire would have to beat a sprinkler system as well as other safety measure in order to spread a significant amount.

“Most of our high-rises here are so well compartmentalized that it’s very difficult to extend past the suite of origin,” he says.