BREAKING : 27 Storey London Tower On Fire After Explosion, Many Feared Dead

Dozens are feared dead today after an inferno
believed to have started when explosion ripped
through a 27-storey west London tower block in
just 15 minutes.


Residents were seen throwing themselves and
their children out of windows to avoid being
burned to death – others made ropes by tying
sheets together as fire engulfed Grenfell Tower
in White City at 1am today.


But a baby tossed from the ‘ninth or 10th floor’
of the building housing 600 people was caught
by a member of the public and survived with
only broken bones and bruises, a witness has
said.


The trapped, some of whom are still inside,
were heard begging for their lives screamed
‘help me’ while waving white towels, torches
and mobile phones to attract the attention of
the 200 firefighters who started storming the
building within six minutes of the 999 call.
Those who managed to flee said it was ‘like hell
on earth’ inside and compared the disaster to
the 9/11 attack – and also revealed there was
no working fire alarm, sprinklers failed and the
only staircase out was blocked.


The building’s new cladding completed during a
recent £10million refurbishment ‘went up like a
match’ and sped up the blaze, another said.


Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has also
demanded to know why Grenfell residents were
told to ‘stay put’ in their flats for up to an hour
in the event of a fire and will investigate claims
that residents repeatedly warned that many
people would die in the event of a major fire.


Dany Cotton, Commissioner of the London Fire
Brigade, said there had been ‘a number of
fatalities’ while the London Ambulance Service
said 50 people are in hospital and paramedics
are treating many more walking wounded for
smoke inhalation and minor burns.


Desperate survivors being cared for in several
west London rescue shelters have seen sobbing
as family and loved-ones, including dozens of
children, remain unaccounted for.


One witness said he saw several people jumping
to their deaths from all floors to escape the
fire.

A survivor broke down on live TV as he said his
neighbour on the fourth floor had confessed that
his ‘fridge had exploded’ before fire swamped
the building, but the fire service told MailOnline
it is too early to confirm the cause

TIMELINE OF THE GRENFALL TOWER FIRE
12.30am: Residents report smelling burning
plastic at this time

12.54am: London Fire Brigade receive the first
call

1am: First fire engines arrive at the scene in
Grenfell Tower
1.16am: Police are called to attend the fire