London Fire Brigade said 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters were battling an “unprecedented” fire that had resulted in a “number of fatalities” at a block of flats in west London on Wednesday morning.
The fire service said it was “working hard to bring fire under control” at the 24-storey building on Lancaster West Estate in North Kensington, where the blaze extended from the second floor to the top floor of Grenfell Tower.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire,” said Dan Daly, London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner. “This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.”