The Latest on the London fire (all times local) :
LONDON (AP) – The Latest on the London fire (all times local) : 9 a.m. A survivor of the massive high-rise apartment fire in London says he’s lucky to be alive. Edward Daffarn says he was on the 16th floor and heard a neighbor’s smoke alarm go off and another neighbor called and told him to get out. He says there was heavy smoke in the hallway and he couldn’t find the stairs. He says tenants have been complaining for years about issues at the building. The Grenfell Action Group, a community organization formed to oppose a nearby redevelopment project, has been warning about the risk of fire there since 2013. The group says on its blog that it has raised concerns about testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment and blocked emergency access to the site. ___ 8: 30 a.m. London Ambulance Service says 50 people have been taken to five hospitals following a major fire in a high-rise residential building. The service says a major incident has been declared in the west London after a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning. The building was engulfed quickly, and London’s fire commissioner says there have been „a number“ of fatalities. Stuart Crichton, the Ambulance Service’s assistant director of operations, says 100 medics are on the scene, together with ambulance crews and advanced trauma teams. ___ 7: 50 a.m. London’s fire commissioner says there have been a number of fatalities in a high-rise fire in west London. Commissioner Dany Cotton calls the fire an „unprecedented incident“ and says she has never seen anything on this scale in her 29-year career. She says firefighters are still working and she can’t say how many people may have died. At least 30 people have been taken to hospitals. Fire raced through the 24-floor Grenfell Tower in North Kensington around 1 a.m. ___ 7: 30 a.m. Police have turned a church near the scene of a massive west London high-rise fire into a makeshift center for evacuees. A woman showed up in tears looking for her sister, who lived in the 24-story building that caught fire. Officials did not have any information to give her. They say 30 people have been taken to hospitals but it’s not clear if people are still trapped. Many people at St. Clement’s church are in wheelchairs and have been brought from adjacent buildings that were evacuated by firefighters because of fears the fire might spread. Hugo Zarey, who lives in one of the other buildings, says he could hear the commotion outside when police pounded on his door and ordered him to leave. He says it was frightening but people are being cared for well. ___ 6: 35 a.m. The London Ambulance service says 30 people have been taken to five hospitals after a massive fire at a high-rise apartment building in west London. Ambulance officials say crews remain on scene as firefighters continue to battle the blaze in the 24-story building. It is not clear if people are trapped inside. Hours after the fire broke out, a plume of smoke can be seen from miles away. The fire started around 1 a.m. London time and spread quickly through the building. More than 20 ambulance crews were on the scene, along with 200 firefighters and 45 fire engines. ___ 4: 30 a.m. London ambulance services are responding to a major fire burned in west London. The London Ambulance Service said it has sent 20 ambulance crews to respond to a London apartment building fire Wednesday morning. Metropolitan Police said earlier that two people were being treated for smoke inhalation. An updated figure was not available. The fire involved nearly every floor of the 24-story building. ___ This story has been corrected by removing reference to 15 being treated for smoke inhalation, which was information from an older incident. ___ 4 a.m. Metropolitan Police in London say they’re continuing to evacuate people from a massive apartment fire in west London. The fire has been burning for more than three hours and stretches from the second to the 24th floor of the building. The cause of the fire is not yet known. It’s also not clear whether people are trapped. Assistant Commissioner Dan Daly says on the London Fire Brigade’s Facebook page that it’s a large and very serious fire. He says firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle the fire. Forty fire engines and 200 firefighters and officers have been called to the scene. ___ 2 a.m. Firefighters were battling a massive fire in a London apartment high-rise early Monday morning. One side of the building appeared to be in flames, and 45 fire engines and 200 firefighters were called to the scene. The London Fire Brigade tweeted that the fire involved the second to the top floor of the 24-story building. The building is the Grenfell Tower in the North Kensington area. The Metropolitan Police said two people were being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and cordons were in place. George Clarke, the presenter of „Amazing Spaces, “ told Radio 5 Live he was covered in ash even though he was 100 meters (yards) from the scene. He said he saw people waving flashlights from the top levels of the building and saw rescuers „doing an incredible job“ trying to get people out. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
