Tower block fire - london

robfosters · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:14

bloody Nora!!!

Just got in after a night out and switched the news on. This fire in North Kensington is unbelievable! Honestly, if you haven't seen it, switch on the news. The whole block is ablaze. Never seen anything like it.

I've never seen a whole high rise tower block ablaze like this. Just horrific. Hundreds of people having their lives ripped apart in a few hours.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-40269625

Best wishes to all those affected.

Rroff · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:17

Was watching a live stream from someone less than 100m from it earlier pretty horrendous.

robfosters · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:21

Surely it's in danger of collapse?

V F · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:25

There is a horrible thought. Everything you own, gone.

Rroff · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:31

robfosters said:
Surely it's in danger of collapse?

I think its only just starting to get a hold deeper in - last few hours it has mostly been the facade and outer rooms except in a couple of bits where it was in deeper.

muon · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:35

V F said:
There is a horrible thought. Everything you own, gone.

There are many people trapped within the building.

Reported that people are using their mobiles from within the building to communicate.

V F · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:36

What is the likely cause? cigarette? Chip pan? Hair curlers?...

muon · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:37

V F said:
What is the likely cause? cigarette? Chip pan? Hair curlers?...

With so much fire damage I find it difficult to believe that they could find out.

Also with concrete flats how has this spread so easily? Isn't there effectively a firewall between flats.

Rroff · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:38

Initial reports were of 3 explosions from a flat on the second floor - someone was saying there have been chip pan fires in flats there before and they've never caught like that - lot of fingers pointed at the ongoing renovation work.

V F · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:39

muon said:
With so much fire damage I find it difficult to believe that they could find out.

Also with concrete flats how has this spread so easily?

Chip pan is quite a common problem for house fires though. Same for falling asleep on the chair with a cigarette on the side and falls to the floor.

Mynight · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:42

Hope no one is badly injured.

muon · 14 Jun 2017 at 04:50

I guess with something like this, firefighters just can't risk entering the building to save anyone. One of the saddest sights in recent memory for London.

Someone just phoned in to say people are trapped on the lower floors. Considering it is 27 storey building this is looking really bad.

gavinh87 · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:03

Truly horrific. There are no words to describe what the people inside must be going through/ have been through.
I just hope this wasn't an arsonist attack.

arknor · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:04

on one of the early photos it looks like the stairwells are totally blazing. wonder if someone poured petrol down them

Initial reports were of 3 explosions from a flat on the second floor - someone was saying there have been chip pan fires in flats there before and they've never caught like that - lot of fingers pointed at the ongoing renovation work.

explosions? do tower blocks even have gas? I thought it wasn't allowed

Amp34 · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:15

That is horrendous. I guess anyone left above the fire may will have to fend for themselves?

muon · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:19

Amp34 said:
That is horrendous. I guess anyone left above the fire may will have to fend for themselves?

Reports are that firefighters weren't going in, whivh was understandable. Also from the looks of things it is too late now. The building is burnt through.

There was a guy on earlier who was there at the very early stages of the fire. He went as high as the sevond floor to warn and get people out. He said because of smoke he couldn't go any higher. He said he didn't think anyone could get down because of the smoke and so people stayed in their flats above.

Ayahuasca · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:21

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/grenfell-tower-still-a-fire-risk/

Looks like they knew of a risk although that's from last year

muon · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:28

Can't even listen to the news anymore. It is dawning on everyone there are dozens if not a very large number of people that were trapped in the building.

Feel sick.

Ayahuasca · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:37

me too, didn't realise the extent till I woke up properly and checked twitter, it happened at the worst possible time as many would have been asleep.

Sankari · 14 Jun 2017 at 05:41

It beggars belief that the fire could spread so fast. No automatic sprinklers?

robfosters said:
Surely it's in danger of collapse?

Tower blocks are primarily constructed of steel and concrete, not steel and glass. Also, it wasn't hit by a large passenger plane at 843kph.