Tribalwar

London fire: Flames engulf tower block

Submitted by: Edofnor @ 01:49 AM | Wednesday, June 14, 2017 | (url: http://www.bbc.co...)

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40269625
[img]https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/1305E/production/_96481977_smoke.jpg[/img]

Thirty people are in hospital and there are fears that more may be unaccounted for after a huge fire raged through the night at a west London tower block.

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The BBC's Andy Moore said the whole 24-storey block had been alight and there were fears the building might collapse.

Eyewitnesses said they saw lights - thought to be mobile phones or torches - flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows.

The Met Police has set up an emergency number on 0800 0961 233 for anyone concerned about friends or family.

At 06:15 BST, London Ambulance Service said 20 ambulance crews had been at the scene, 30 people had been taken to hospital, but the nature and level of their injuries was not yet clear.
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Three hours after the fire started, police said people were continuing to be evacuated from the tower.

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London Ambulance Service medics specially trained in life-saving medical care in hazardous environments have also been sent to the fire.

The first reports of fire in the tower, in Latimer Road, on the Lancaster West Estate, came in at 00:54 BST.

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According to Kensington and Chelsea Council, the tower block contains 120 flats and is 24 storeys high.

It is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council and had undergone a two-year, 10m refurbishment that was completed last year.

The work included new exterior cladding and a communal heating system.

The local Grenfell Action Group had claimed, before and during the refurbishment, the block constituted a fire risk and residents had warned that access to the site for emergency vehicles was "severely restricted".

The BBC has been unable to contact the property's management company...