Towering Inferno in London

[Domo]

A tower block has gone up in a fireball in London; people are still missing and questions are being raised about the building's integrity, although they think it's safe still.





Prayers for the missing.

 

[Daniela Rose]

The whole thing is sickening. Reminds me of 9/11 at the wtc. People were jumping. Throwing their children out the windows. Horrifying. May they Rest In Peace.

It started with a faulty fridge, but there were issues with that building for years. No sprinklers or fire alarms. The building went up like a matchbox.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

So sad.

 

[Planogirl]

I read that there was remodeling at some point which included adding some type of material to the exterior. The press might have just been guessing of course.

My heart goes out to the victims of this disaster.

 

[Domo]

I read that there was remodeling at some point which included adding some type of material to the exterior. The press might have just been guessing of course.

My heart goes out to the victims of this disaster.

You are right; there was cladding on the exterior aimed at insulation. It fed the fire like nothing else.

People were throwing their babies from several floors up, praying that they would at most suffer broken bones.

Amazingly, the building had a stay safe policy - in the event of a fire, residents were advised to stay put until the fire services got to them for rescue. So people on the top floors stayed put - and died.

All praises to the fore services though, on site in 6 minutes after the alarm was raised and straight into harm's way.

 

[superme80]

I saw this last night. How horrible.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Tragic! Sad times these days indeed.

 

[adisneyaunt]

Tragic.
Have they released numbers of people missing/unaccounted for, passed and lives Saved?
A very large building and fire at 1 am I thought I heard... so many must have been asleep
RIP

 

[ols386]

So awful. Sending prayers.

 

[Hikergirl]

It's so horrible

 

[LAB81018]

There may have been even more deaths, but many of the building's Muslim residents were awake to break Ramadan.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...dent-live-save-north-kensington-a7789111.html

 

[DaisyJ]

There may have been even more deaths, but many of the building's Muslim residents were awake to break Ramadan.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...dent-live-save-north-kensington-a7789111.html

Yes, if they wouldn't have been awake to alert their neighbors, the death toll would have been much higher.

I've read 12 confirmed dead, but they are expecting the number to rise.

 

[EMom]

You are right; there was cladding on the exterior aimed at insulation. It fed the fire like nothing else.

People were throwing their babies from several floors up, praying that they would at most suffer broken bones.

Amazingly, the building had a stay safe policy - in the event of a fire, residents were advised to stay put until the fire services got to them for rescue. So people on the top floors stayed put - and died.

All praises to the fore services though, on site in 6 minutes after the alarm was raised and straight into harm's way.

I cannot wrap my brain around the stay safe policy. If there is a fire, especially in a high rise, my instinct would be to get as far away from the fire as quickly as possible. I don't care what the official policy was. Survival instinct would trump. And with a building that size, I think they needed more stairwells. Those poor people never stood a chance.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am so sad for all the people who couldn't get out. Absolutely horrifying.

 

[cabanafrau]

Unbelievably tragic. Still some flats burning more than a day later.

 

[Mokat76]

What a horrifying thing to happen. I pray for the survivors, the dead, the first responders and those who had to witness it knowing there was nothing they could do.

 

[Domo]

The death toll will sadly rise. People are still missing. A lot of them resided on the top floors where rescue crews have been unable to reach. Occupants were seen trying to shimmy down makeshift ropes made out of bedsheets. Sadly, they didn't make it.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It looks like the building is leaning a bit. They're saying it may be unsafe to try to go in and recover the bodies. Those who try will be risking their own lives. They may never be able to fully assess how many people were lost, and who, exactly. A logistical nightmare for authorities. There will also need to be a determination if people in the structures nearby are safe if the building collapses. We're talking hundreds of people here.

 

[Domo]

There were pictures of mothers desperately flinging babies from several floors up, just hoping and praying that they would survive the drop and avoid the flames. It's almost reminiscent of the Twin Towers

 

[Domo]

First eerie pictures from inside the block...