Grenfell Tower fire: What we know so far as at least six die in blaze

At least six people have died after a huge fire destroyed Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, west London, with the death toll likely to rise.

Here is what we know so far.

The blaze began in the middle of the night.

The fire service was called to the Grenfell Tower at 12.54am on Wednesday. The apartment block holds 120 flats over 24 floors and is thought to be home to between 400 and 600 people.Flames tore up the Tower, leaving people trapped on upper floors, some holding babies from windows and others jumping from their flats.Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly up the building, with some suggesting it was fuelled by gas.

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Mickey Paramasivan, 37, told the Press Association: “There were explosions everywhere you looked, lots of bangs, blue gas coming out everywhere you looked.

“About 12 floors up I saw three children waving from a window and then there was just an explosion and they disappeared.”

More than 200 firefighters from north Kensington, Kensington, Hammersmith and Paddington and surrounding stations were at the scene with the blaze burning from the second to the top floor.

Six people are dead and 74 in hospital.

Twenty of those are in critical care, according to NHS England.

Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “I can confirm six fatalities at this time but this figure is likely to rise during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days.”

Fire crews are searching the tower and Mr Cundy added: “I do anticipate that there may be people within that building that are as yet unaccounted for.”

Residents had raised concerns about the safety of the building.

Councillor Judith Blakeman said residents had expressed concerns about fire safety in the block “over several years” and have constantly been reassured by management company Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO).

She added instructions were put up on every floor telling people to remain in their flats in the event of a fire, that they would be safe there and would be rescued within the hour.

She said: “The residents have expressed concern over several years about the fire safety at the block and they’ve constantly been reassured, (being told), ‘No, it’s okay, your flat is secure for an hour unless you’re close to the fire. Stay in your flat and you’ll be rescued within the hour by the fire brigade’.

“The fire brigade have undertaken a recent inspection and said it’s okay, because the residents kept demanding it and we kept demanding it on behalf of the residents.”

A blog post from Grenfell Action Group in November said “only a catastrophic event” would expose issues residents had with the building’s safety.

The group said there was only one entry and exit to Grenfell Tower during improvement works at the block in Latimer Road and it had issues with evacuation procedures.

Following the fire, the group posted: “All our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time.”

The group claimed access to the building was “severely restricted” for emergency services and other vehicles and that residents were advised to stay in their flats in case of fire.

The 1974 building was refurbished recently at a cost of £8.6 million, with work completed in May last year.

Londoners are pitching in to help.

The Westway Sports and Fitness Centre was turned into a refuge for residents evacuated from the flats and left destitute by the blaze.

Gymnastics mats were laid out on the floor of its main hall, where organisers said those trying to process Tuesday night’s events could rest.

Throngs of volunteers poured through the doors of the centre all day, many armed with supplies and some pushing shopping trolleys.

Inside, tables sagged under the weight of donations, which ranged from food and drink to clothing and toiletries.

A crowdfunding page has also been set up to raise money for the hundreds of victims, which has raised £128,000 in the hours after the evacuation.

A casualty bureau has been set up for anyone concerned about friends and family on 0800 0961 233.