Firefighters on Wednesday battled one of London’s biggest fire disasters in recent memory as a rapid-moving fire raced through a 24-story apartment building in West London. Hours after the fire was first reported, crews worked to rescue people trapped inside and count the number of dead.
“I can confirm six fatalities at this time,” Metropolitan Police commander Stuart Cundy said. “But this figure is likely to rise during what is a complex recovery operation over a number of days.”
Neighbors said they heard screams for help as the fire stormed through the floors, trapping residents who could be seen from windows flashing their cell phone lights in hopes of being rescued. Witnesses said some residents held small children from windows while other people jumped from the lower stories of the building.
Grenfell Tower, is in an ethnically diverse, densely populated West London’s North Kensington area. Officials said it contained about 140 apartments and was home to an estimated 500 people. Among those missing on Wednesday morning were a number of children.
As the building continued to burn into Wednesday morning, questions emerged on why the fire spread through the building so quickly in a city where a centuries-old history of disastrous fires has forced one of the world’s most stringent fire codes.
Fire investigators said it was too early to tell what started the fire or caused it to spread so rapidly.
Source-VOA
