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Death Toll Climbs After 24-Story London High-Rise Catches Fire
This is so sad. At least six people are dead after a fire blazed through the 24 story Grenfell Tower in London, sending dozens more to the hospital.
Metropolitan Police commander Stuart Cundy said the death toll was likely to increase “during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days.”
The building, which houses 120 apartments, is located in the Kensington section of London. Residents who managed to escape revealed hearing the horrifying sounds of trapped occupants screaming and crying for help. Those who did manage to flee the building escaped around 1:30 am.
“We saw the people screaming,” said Nassima Boutrig, who lives across the street and was awoken by emergency sirens. “A lot of people said ‘Help, help, help.’ The fire brigade could only help downstairs. It was fire up, up, up. They couldn’t stop the fire.”
Some 74 people were rushed to nearby hospitals according to London’s Ambulance Service. According to officials, twenty of that number are in critical condition.
Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton called the blaze “unprecedented.” Some 200 firefighters and 45 fire trucks were on the scene working to put out the fire for hours.
A witness told Britain’s Press Association that she saw a woman drop a baby from the “ninth or 10th floor” for a man to catch.
Resident Mickey Paramasivan was almost asleep when he smelled burning plastic, prompting him to rush out of the building still in his underwear.
“I grabbed a little girl, grabbed my girlfriend, run out of the house just in a pair of boxer shorts and a dressing gown,” Paramasivan said outside the engulfed building.
The building is not in danger of collapse as rescue crews remain inside the structure working to put out the blaze.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “devastated” by the deadly blaze and vowed to investigate what caused the chaotic situation.
“There will be a great many questions over the coming days as to the cause of this tragedy and I want to reassure Londoners that we will get all the answers,” he said in a statement.
While the cause of the fire is still unknown, it’s been revealed that the building was reported for being a fire hazard numerous times. There was even a community blog called “Grenfell Action Group,” which warned of fire hazards several times over the last four years.
Just terrible. It sounds like this could have been prevented. Prayers up for all the families affected by this tragedy.
Mirrorpix/Splash
