London building fire: High-rise apartment engulfed in flames, at least 6 people killed

Witnesses reported seeing residents throwing babies and small children from high windows to people on the sidewalk in a desperate effort to save them from the flames.

One witness, who identified herself as Sofia, told The Guardian: “I heard loads of young girls crying out for help…I can hear people screaming for help and they are dying.”

Jody Martin told the BBC she watched desperate residents of the building trying to escape the blaze.

"I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window," she said. "I was yelling at everyone to get down and they were saying, 'We can't leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors.'"

The inferno lit up the night sky and spewed black smoke from the windows of the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington. A plume of smoke stretched for miles across the sky after dawn, revealing the blackened, flame-licked wreckage of the building, which was still burning over 12 hours late


http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/06/14/london-building-fire-high-rise-apartment-engulfed-in-flames-at-least-6-people-killed.html

Witnesses described hearing screams, watching people jump out of the high-rise block and a baby being dropped out of a window and caught on the street below.

The authorities ruled out terrorism. Residents are saying it was due to safety issues in the building. Very tragic, and so sad.

hope someone goes to Jail a long time for the shoddy work they did!

They are claiming everything was up to code. But with all the complaints and apparently nothing being done about it, I tend to agree with you.

This is terrible and heart-wrenching!
It was sick and twisted that I even clicked on this post.
I should know better.
I only hope that the survivors can mend their broken lives.




Tragic accidents like this happen too much for a species that has the knowledge and intelligence that humans have.
There should be a full inspection and reassessment of building codes and buildings not up to code refitted or closed.
Before anyone says "that costs money" which is more important, money or someones life?

Now to offset that terrible image here are some cute puppies to set your mind at ease.

The blame game will take off now. just been refurbished!
The lefties are already blaming the government (no surprise there )
But the local councils signed it off as did the fire brigade so who knows, time will tell!
Nice puppies tom

Yes, time will tell. I guess we won't know for sure until after they investigate the actual cause of the fire.

It is sad, I'd like to say something about the people who lived in it, nothing horrible but I better have a think first

I saw this burning building in London in the news last night. It was horrible to watch and hear people were jumping off the building and some trying to save their children by throwing them off the balconies and hoping the people on the ground would catch them.. I hope they were saved.

So very sad.

I did hear they said do not leave your apartment... same as the world trade center told to do the same ...
both so horrible for the innocent victims... so many emotions...
hard to imagine... how many will go through becouse of this:>(

one might think the refurbishment completed in may of 2016 at
a cost of 8.7 million pounds sterling, would have included
the retrofitting of a sprinkler system as a 1st or 2nd priority
on the *to do list* ....but hey, i guess it was more important
to make the 24 story tower look prettier with new windows and
outer cladding, than to worry about what might happen if there
were to be a fire gone out of control...

Usually in the UK and this type of building they have 'dry risers ' to my knowledge (someone can correct me )but it's a big pipe running centrally bottom to top of the building.
This has outlets on each floor for the firemen to use. Each flat has fire doors that open to the lift / stairs.
Protocol of asking people to stay in the flats is common these days.
But it seems the fire was from the outside inward which is unusual.
The renovation carried out last year would have been signed off by both the council and the fire inspectors!
People didn't have smoke alarms in their flats, as you know most people take the battery out cos they burn toast that sets them off.

Doesn't look pretty now. Do they have a total death count?
Last i heard it was 17.

They are saying about 70 unaccounted for
30 confirmed

Last report I saw indicated that it was the recent outer cladding that turned it into a death trap; that there are no rules there requiring sprinkler systems be added during refurbishments (that should be changed IMO), and that there were no adequate escape avenues for anyone. I heard that the refurbers had a choice between two versions of the cladding from the same manufacturer, and they chose the cheapest. For two dollars more per square METER, they could have used the fire resistant cladding.

7
Read my previous post igor
Starting 'usually '

I already did. You didn't confirm anything, I added an update. Why do you complain?

He's fooling you and you don't like it.

I'm not complaining,
The material used in the cladding would have met fire regulations even if it were the cheapest version.
As for confirmation. It will of had the 'dry risers '.
AND more importantly as I said, the FIRE SERVICE AND COUNCIL will have cleared the specification of any material used. Sprinklers can only be used in certain constructions. Don't believe to much you see on your news. This is turning into a massive political farse
By the labour party (lefties )
That council is run by them but everything gets blamed on the government and it's not the case here.