London (CNN)At least 12 people are dead and dozens injured after a massive fire tore through a 24-story apartment building in west London in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
All 24 floors of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington were quickly engulfed, trapping residents in their homes and reportedly forcing some to jump to escape the flames. London's fire chief, Dany Cotton, said the blaze was "unprecedented" in her 29 years of service.
Residents had reported concerns about fire safety in recent years, and questions were raised about whether a recent refurbishment of the building, in which exterior cladding was installed, contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Firefighters continued to search the building for survivors as British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday promised a "proper investigation" into the fire's cause.
"...And, if there are any lessons to be learned, they will be -- and action taken," she said.
Witnesses described people leaping from the building and of trapped children banging on windows as the fire broke out around 1 a.m. local time, while people slept.
A website run by the "Grenfell Action Group" said residents of the tower had expressed concerns over the safety of the building, specifically pointing to fire risks. Fire chiefs said it was too early to speculate on the cause of the blaze.Latest developments
-- At least 12 people have died and police expect the toll to rise.
-- 78 people were hospitalized, 18 of whom are in critical care.
-- British Prime Minister Theresa May promises a "proper investigation" into the London apartment building fire.
-- London Fire Brigade says it has rescued 65 people from the tower.
-- Residents say they were told to stay in their apartments as the fire raged.
-- 125 families live in the building, which also houses a nursery.
Around 200 firefighters, 40 fire trucks and 20 ambulance crews were at the scene at the height of the blaze.
"Sadly I can confirm there are now 12 people that have died that we know of. This is going to be a long and complex recovery operation and I do anticipate that the number of fatalities will sadly increase beyond those 12," London Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy told reporters in the early evening.
"I don't anticipate there will be further survivors."
The London Fire Brigade said it had rescued 65 people from the building and had now reached all 24 floors, though firefighters were yet to extinguish small flames in hard-to-reach pockets.
It is unclear how many people are still unaccounted for. The Italian Foreign Ministry said at least two Italians are missing and British Labour politician David Lammy said the wife of an employee also was missing.
Rydon, the company that undertook a refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, says its work met "all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards."
The company that manages the building, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, described the fire as "devastating."
"Currently, we're focusing on helping those residents and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure but we will issue a further statement in due course," said Robert Black, the company's chief executive.
The company that installed the cladding on the exterior of the structure is "not aware of any link between the fire and the exterior cladding to the tower," their managing director said in a statement Wednesday. Cladding is a covering or coating on a structure.
The company, Harley Facades Limited, said it did not manufacture the cladding, and added: "The Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels are a commonly used product in the refurbishment industry."
"This is an incredibly tragic incident," Managing Director Ray Bailey said. "Our thoughts are with the residents and their families who have suffered such a personal loss. We will fully support and cooperate with the investigations into this fire."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited the site on Wednesday afternoon with fire officials, and said authorities would address residents' concerns as questions begin to swirl on how the blaze started and ripped up the building so quickly.
"It's really important that their questions are answered. I'll be demanding answers," he told reporters.
No comments:
Post a Comment