Eyewitnesses have revealed the horror of the fire at the Grenfell Tower in North Kensington’s Latimer Road.
Fatalities have been confirmed at the tower, which caught fire shortly before 1am this morning, though exact numbers of those affected are not currently known.
One 15-year-old girl who lived in a flat near the top of the tower went to school in the aftermath of the fire to sit a GCSE science exam.
The girl’s friend, who lives in a nearby building, said: “The only things she had were her textbook and phone.”
“She was crying and was upset about her belongings and her house but she knew her family were ok, which is obviously the main thing.”
Daniel Glover, 31, said he had knew of people who had lost relatives and friends in the disaster and had seen people inside the building using torches to attract the attention of emergency services.
“I counted at least 10 people that were stuck in the building,” he said.
Churches, mosques and Sikh temples in the area have been offering food and shelter to those affected by the blaze.
Organisers at the nearby Harrow Club, which is processing reports of missing people in the area and providing shelter to those affected, said they have been overwhelmed by people’s generosity.
One said: “It’s unbelievable community spirit – people with hardly anything have been bringing things in.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said earlier that ‘questions will need to be answered’ after the fire at the 24-storey tower.
One local resident, who was collecting money for victims nearby, said: “No is not a word that’s in people’s vocabularies today – everyone has been amazing.”
There is severe disruption to transport links in the area, with anyone travelling in the area asked to check the TfL website for the latest travel information.
The Hammersmith & City and Circle lines are currently suspended between Hammersmith and Edgware Road and the A40 is closed in both directions between Marylebone Road and the Northern Roundabout.
Bus routes are also on diversion.
