Huge fire engulfs west London tower block.

[BIAD]

Huge fire engulfs west London tower block.

Families try to find one another as a number of fatalities is confirmed and firefighters
try to rescue those who remain trapped.



'Several people have been killed - and others remain trapped - in a large fire on a west London
estate being battled by more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines.



Hundreds of residents in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower have been evacuated from their flats in the
burning building, and at least 50 people have been taken to five hospitals in the capital for treatment.

Witnesses described hearing screams, watching people throw themselves out of the high-rise
block and a woman holding a baby out of a window.
Others told of seeing people shouting and waving from the windows for help, and seeing people
shining torches from within as the inferno erupted in the dead of night.

Footage on social media showed the building engulfed in fire, with huge flames stretching over
a number of floors. The fire brigade said the fire had spread throughout the entire building,
now covered in plumes of smoke with visible pockets of fire within the charred structure.

Mini explosions could be heard as the blaze shattered windows in the tower, while debris and
ash fell to the ground.

London Fire Brigade commissioner Dany Cotton confirmed there had been "a number of fatalities".
"I cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size and complexity of this building," she said...'

[BIAD]

Without meaning to imply anything, the statements taken from the fleeing residents of this tragedy
are quite telling in many ways. This could be an accident, but considering the general ethnicity of
those commenting and the concerns of recent events in London, it will be interesting to see how
this develops.
(The page from The Guardian is updated every few minutes)

'...I spoke to Mahmoud, a 25-year-old refugee from Syria who had come to the UK seeking safety.
He lived in Grenfall tower and was waiting for news of his friend Mohammed, who he last spoke to
at 3.30am when he was still trapped in the flat next to the one they shared, desperately trying to
escape.

Mahmoud said he lives with two brothers, 24-year-old Mohammed and 25-year-old Omar who is
in hospital. Mahmoud had been working and was out when his friend called him to say the tower
was on fire.

When Mahmoud, who lives on the 14th floor of the tower with the brothers, got back the fire was
small and not on their side of the building, but he watched as it grew and wrapped around the
tower...'

'...London mayor Sadiq Khan said questions need to be answered about the fire advice given
to residents. Asked on Radio 4’s Today programme about advice to residents stay inside their
flats in the event of a fire (see earlier) Khan said: “Thankfully residents didn’t stay in their flats
and fled to safety.

“One of the concerns that we have is it’s a 24-storey building but for obvious reasons, with the
scale of the fire, our experts weren’t able to reach all the way to the top, so of course these
are questions that need to be answered as soon as possible.”
He added: “It’s very distressing, not just for those of us watching as lay people, but also very
distressing for the emergency services....'

'...A man identified as Methrob, who lived on the 17th floor, told LBC Radio: “I heard the fire
trucks and so I was alerted that something was going on. There was no fire alarm in the
building, we don’t have an integrated fire alarm system.”

He said the fire was inside one apartment but added the “real issue was when it caught fire
to the cladding outside.”
“That’s when I noticed the fire from outside when I looked out the window.
The cladding went up like a matchstick.”
Methrob said residents had been concerned about safety, adding there had been warnings
“for over a year”...'

'...Joanna O’Connor, a local resident, told Sky News: “One of our neighbours, her sister,
husband and children were in the building, it was their neighbours’ flat that caught fire.
“So it’s very close to us, we’ve got neighbours whose families are in that building.”...'

'...Local resident Tamara told BBC News: "Around 12.30/1am my mum called me and said
there was a fire outside. By the time I got there the whole right side of the building was on fire
 the whole thing was engulfed in flames.

“We could hear people screaming ‘help me’ so me and my brother, with some other people
who live in the area, ran over to the estate to where you could still get underneath it and there
were people just throwing their kids out saying ‘save my children’.

“The fire crew, ambulance and police couldn’t do anything, they couldn’t get in, and they were
just telling them to stay where they are, and we’ll come and get you.
“But things quickly escalated beyond measure and they couldn’t go back in and get them.

“My brother has a lot of school friends who are still wondering if their friends have made it
out, they haven’t got in contact with them or heard anything.”...'

'...Line Sterring, 23, from Denmark, and Isabel Afonso, 22, from Portugal, live in Testerton
Walk, next to Grenfell Tower.
I spoke to them as they sat on the pavement after being evacuated from their building.
They had been given water by the emergency services.

Sterring said she thought noises she heard at about 1.30am came from neighbours.
“My first thought was who is having a party, it was noisy but not screaming and shouting
at that point. But then we looked out of the window and everyone was looking at the
building.”...'

Estate resident Ahmed Chellat, who spoke to Alice Ross earlier, has been told that his
relatives are safe after they were told to stay in their 21st-floor flat with wet towels under
the doors.
His sister, brother-in-law, and their two children were advised to stay in the flat and that
help was on its way. He told ITV they were safe.

Chellat confirmed that residents of the estate have had concerns about fire safety for
years. He said: “It has been going on for quite some time regarding the safety of the tower.
I live in the estate. The safety of the blocks has been a concern for a long time, not just
now.”...'

'...Siar Naqshabandi, at the Rugby Portobello centre, said he lives on the third floor and
said his brother, who was in the building, heard no fire alarms. “I came back at about
1.45am and saw the building was on fire. I rang him [his brother] and said, get out.”

He has more family living on the 23rd floor and an uncle is still missing. “They were telling
people not to leave the building,” he said. “I told them to get down. They said we’re not
allowed to get out.”...'
SOURCE:

[Daitengu]

Meh ... muzies got careless with their cooking fire an set the place on fire .... nothing new ..... and a few less terrorists ....

[BIAD]

Meh ... muzies got careless with their cooking fire an set the place on fire .... nothing new ..... and a few less terrorists ....

I think the media -through responses of the residents of the tower, are looking to blame
the Cladding Company that installed the 'plastic' panels around the Grenfell Tower.

But I know what you mean, many of the house-fires in Germany were due to cooking fires
being created in the buildings. This could be something similar and without sounding ignorant,
I hope it is.

That, rather than some-sort of retaliation for the recent London and Manchester killings.

[Mystic Wanderer]

At least 6 dead and 50 injured, according to the count in this report. 

Such tragic news to wake up to.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all.  

Source

[Daitengu]

At least 6 dead and 50 injured, according to the count in this report. 

Such tragic news to wake up to.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all.  

Source

6 less terrorists ....  worlds a little safer ....

[guohua]

I was reading about this, I at first asked my husband if he thought some terrorist Bomb making Materials had Started to Smolder and Catch Fire.
Not all materials will explode, they need another element added for the Bang.
But if not properly stored, they are still dangerous before the finial mixing.

Still, sad though, I would think many of these people were just living day to day lives.

[BIAD]

Update:
London fire: Twelve dead in Grenfell Tower blaze.

'Twelve people have died in a west London tower block fire and the number of deaths is
expected to rise, police have said.

Firefighters rescued 65 people from Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, after they were
called at 00:54 BST. Witnesses said people were trapped in the tower block, screaming
for help and yelling for their children to be saved.

Theresa May said there will be a full investigation and "if there are any lessons to be learned
they will be".

It is understood that "several hundred" people would have been in the block when the fire broke
out, most of them sleeping. The ambulance service said 68 patients had been taken to six hospitals
across London, with 18 in critical care. A further 10 patients made their own way to hospital.

During the night, eyewitnesses said they saw lights - thought to be mobile phones or torches -flashing
at the top of the block of flats. Trapped residents came to their windows -some holding children...'
SOURCE:

[OmegaLogos]

Explanation: This was a fire waiting to happen!


Primarily I blame the architect who originally designed the building without any sprinkler system installed and I also blame the architect who signed off on the flammable exterior cladding!

In both cases "WTFH!" ???  

They should be taken out and shot!

Personal disclosure: I also say this boils down to greed and or the negligence of the council, the tenants management organization, the construction company and the tenants themselves! 

Play stupid games ... win stupid prizes! 

[BIAD]

Explanation: This was a fire waiting to happen!


Primarily I blame the architect who originally designed the building without any sprinkler system
installed and I also blame the architect who signed off on the flammable exterior cladding!

A cheap and easy way to rack-and-stack the poor, the urban working-class and immigrants of the 1970s. 

As the years went by and the Common Market became the European Union, the working-class became
the economic migrants and low-paid immigrants in London (and probably in other cities) from the poorer
areas of Europe and the once-working-class became lower-middle or middle-class.
Well, you've gotta put them somewhere... so the wheel turns.
But the media won't talk about that.

Though many buildings like this were seen as okay not to have a sprinkler system installed
during construction, I would wager that the later-cost of one would far outweigh the concerns
for safety, simply because the architect and the 'working-class-now-middle-class' didn't have
to live there.

The standard credo from those officially involved is 'lessons will be learned', but in all honesty,
that particular lesson has been learnt many times before this tragedy.
It's all about money and class.

Without sounding callous, if this awful incident had happened in November, the continuing coverage
would have died-down in a couple of days. It's just that it's local for Journalists, Summer holidays will
effect staffing-levels in the media companies and in a period of racially-connected religion problems in
many UK cities, it's a vehicle to show diversity and compassion from the wealthier people who don't live
in such fire-traps.

If you check the initial television reporting, you'll see most of the witnesses were brown or black and the
Journalists in the streets were white until the poor optics were seen to be obvious. Then Journalists of other
races were brought in to show the viewers that this story is about a fire and not about who was racked-and
-stacked in that outdated building.

Prayers, candles, solemn-looking young people, rainbow-coloured windmills and platitudes will be the focus
now until something else grabs the media's attention.

The cladding company...
'Rydon, which completed the renovations, said the work met all fire regulations...'
'...Newsnight policy editor Chris Cook said the cladding used on Grenfell Tower was sold
under the brand Reynobond.

He said manufacturers offer two different versions of the cladding - one with a plastic core
and one with a mineral core.

He said he understood cladding with a plastic core was used in the west London tower...'
SOURCE:
Cost and the value of those it was used for.

Thursday -17 dead now.

[Mystic Wanderer]

Very sad.  I just saw a video on a Yahoo article about the fire.  Some woman threw her baby from the 10th floor, I believe it was, and someone on the ground caught it.  That was a miracle right there! 

Some tenants had previously complained about the upkeep of the tower, specifically warning about the fire risk. In November, a residents' group, Grenfell Action Group, said that only a "catastrophic event" would expose the concerns it had about the building's landlord, according to a blog post from the group.

It was not clear exactly how many residents were in the building, but the tower, built in 1974, contained 120 apartments, according to its management company, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation.

Watch the video here.

As rescue effort continues, death toll up to 17 from London high-rise fire

[BIAD]

What I find worrying is the narrative that's being crafted in the media, it seems that
regardless of an investigation, the mainstream media are forging ahead in assisting
angry and confused residents to believe that it's the failings of certain organisations
and companies that led to the disaster and not the cause.

I agree that a sub-standard building may have contributed to the devastation and loss
of life, but this 'let's get the suits' witch hunt media outlets like the BBC and others seems
manipulative at best and condescending to the effected public at worst.

Here's an article from the Daily Mail and notice the obvious blame-aimed situation regarding
the photographs. They're all white.
Is this indicative of most council-funded Housing companies today, that they don't employ
people of colour...? or is the story devised to stir up racial problems?

Four managers at company paid £11million to manage inferno tower block shared more than
£650,000 pay last year.

'The company responsible for the safety and maintenance of the block of flats which turned into a raging inferno and
killed at least 12 people was paid £11million last year from taxpayer's money.
Grenfell Tower is owned by the borough council in Kensington and Chelsea, but the management of the building is the
responsibility of an independent company - Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO). 


Robert Black (left) who is Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation's
Chief Executive and in charge of the management of Grenfell Tower and Andrew Goldman
from Rydon Construction who appeared on TV this morning admitting he did not know the
exact details of the materials used in the revamp of the block of flats.

Robert Black is the company's Chief Executive Officer and he took office in 2009 having previously worked as
Executive Director of Service at Circle Anglia for five years where he was responsible for services for 45,000 homes
across seven companies including asset management.
He is a father of two who lives in a £1million house in South East London with his wife of almost 20 years.


Sacha Jevans, who is Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation's
Director of Operations.

Barbara Matthews is the Executive Director of Financial Services and ICT, Yvonne Birch is the Executive Director
of People and Performance and Sacha Jevans is the Executive Director of Operations.
They are the four most senior members of KCTMO and according to papers seen by MailOnline, they earned
£650,000 between them last year. 

Speaking to Nina Hossain on ITV News London the company's boss Robert Black said: 'We are in complete
shock and condolences for what's happened today. Our thoughtS are with everybody that is currently affected
and still affected.' 


Barbara Matthews (centre) is the Executive Director of Financial Services and ICT, Yvonne
Birch (left) is the Executive Director of People and Performance and Nicholas Holgate (right)
who is Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council's Chief Executive.

Prime Minister Theresa May said there will be a 'proper investigation' following the Grenfell Tower fire, adding:
'If there are any lessons to be learned they will be, and action will be taken.' 
The doomed block of flats underwent a £10million refurbishment which were completed in May last year which
was overseen by Rydon Construction. 

After a day of finger-pointing and revelations residents had spent years lobbying over safety concerns, a massive
investigation has been launched and experts are predicting it could lead to a prosecution. 
Those in the firing line are the council, who own the property and send people to live there, KCTMO who are
responsible for maintaining Grefnell Tower and Rydon who installed cladding as part of their refurbishment. 

The numerous theories of what caused the deadly Grenfell Tower fire 'will be thoroughly investigated,' council
bosses said. A Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea spokesman said: 'We have heard a number of
theories about the cause of the fire at Grenfell Tower.

'We are providing emergency accommodation for those affected by today's fire at Grenfell Tower.
'Our immediate priority is to accommodate the residents of Grenfell Tower, families with young children,
the elderly and the vulnerable.

'For those unable to return to their homes in the surrounding area a rest centre has been set up at Westway
Sports Centre. 'We are still placing households and housing officers will work throughout the night to provide
assistance and support.'...'
SOURCE:

[BIAD]

Resisting the obvious conspiracy theory that the working-class are being driven out in order to
make Kensington and Chelsea more accessible to the wealthy, I just find it odd that articles
such as this one below from the BBC haven't surfaced until the recent 'Brexit' decision.

For many years, people from poorer countries and without Union-backing, have worked in the
cities and taken on the tasks that the middle-classes just wouldn't give a second-glance.

The bullsh*t statements of 'minimum wage' and fair-hours-of-work do not include these people
and organisations such as the BBC know that any reporting on what's really going on could
stain the perception that the Government -that funds the BBC, wish to maintain.

Of course, with families fleeing wars, men and women awaiting decisions on whether they can
stay in Britain and many other reasons, many people who came to the land that's supposed to be
paved with gold are now existing on welfare and accepting housing that's paid for by the tax-payers.

It's only recently that subjects such as the class-divide -that were ignored when we were part of the
European Union have begun to surface. Is it a subtle 'clearing' of those from abroad...? or just a fact
that investment in low-cost housing really means expenses-paid meetings and needless paperwork?

There's also the topic of self-accountability to look at too. As the lady in the first paragraph displays,
for quite some time -and certainly in Europe, the culture of blame is far more important than taking
responsibility for oneself and family.

I'm not saying that the deaths can be attributed to an ignorance to avoid flames, but there's been
a push to use a recent statement from the Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council that if a fire
breaks out, staying in your apartment is the safest option and this, 'may' have led to confusing the
residents who perished.

But, the 'it's because of the rich' narrative seems to be the focus of many of the mainstream media.
The only amusing part of this tragedy is that the majority of the wealthy who wouldn't look twice at
Grefell Towers as a place to live, are the media.
..............................

London fire: 'The working class aren't being listened to'

'Maria Vigo has lived opposite Grenfell Tower for 11 years, and she's upset.



Not just with the fire that claimed so many lives in the block she can see from her kitchen window.
She's also upset with how expensive her local playgroup has become, and how the people of North
Kensington can't afford the properties in the area.
But - most of all - she's upset that she's not being listened to.

"There was a lot of anger on the school run this morning," she says.
"There's a lot of separation between classes and people are telling me that it's down to social cleansing."
Maria says people are angry that things didn't work in the tower, and that there weren't any sprinklers.

"They need to train us how to get out of buildings safely, not just put up a fire notice," she says.
The mother of two, whose children both have special needs, talks of how, years ago, the affluence of
Knightsbridge spilled into parts of Kensington, then Notting Hill, then Holland Park.

She puts her hands into a circle. "We feel like we're being surrounded."


The gap between private and social rents
Private tenants spend almost five times as much on housing.




How house prices compare
£1,369,708 ----------------------------[$1,749,082.87]
Average in Kensington and Chelsea
£220,094 ------------------------------- [$281,054.54]
Average for UK
£66,384 Increase in average Kensington and Chelsea price since 2016. [$84,770.71]
Source: Land Registry

Maria was born in the area, and talks about how local playgroups have been privatised.
"If they were £2 and now they're £7.50, then no-one can afford to take their kids there."

She speaks without drawing breath, frustration spilling out.
"This area's always been working class. It's starting to become a bit less so now, and the working class
are feeling that they're being left without a voice.

"The council isn't listening to us. We don't want a pretty building.
They should ask us 'What do we need? or 'What would we like?'"
Maria also says a desire for profits is encroaching on the lives of working-class locals.
"Properties are being built in this area that aren't being bought by people in the local community."

The area around Grenfell Tower is busy, especially near Latimer Road tube, but voices are low and sombre.
People stand huddled in groups, looking downcast. Some don't want to talk to the press.
Others take photographs of the blackened block; a scar in the sky that dominates everyone's thoughts.

Young men in sports gear and oversized caps, old men in shirts and trousers, and women in hijabs,
all pull out their phones to take photographs of the soot-stained tower, bits of which float onto the street.

People's faces screw up as they look up. No-one can believe what they're seeing...'
The BBC:

[BIAD]

With a special thanks to Mystic for the link, the cause of the blaze seems to have
come to light.

Faulty fridge sparked London fire that killed 79; manslaughter charges possible.

'A massive fire at a residential high-rise building in London last week that killed dozens was
caused by a faulty refrigerator, police said Friday.

Detective superintendent Fiona McCormack of London's Metropolitan Police Service said at
news conference Friday that the deadly blaze started in a HotPoint fridge-freezer, model no.
FF175P, that was not previously subject to a product recall.
The manufacturer will conduct further testing on the appliance, McCormack said.

Evidence indicates the initial flames from the fridge-freezer were not started deliberately.
Witnesses interviewed by police described hearing one resident claim his appliance was
responsible, according to McCormack.
But investigators are still trying to determine how the blaze grew so quickly.

"Our investigation is seeking to establish how the fire started and the speed that it spread as
it took hold of the building," McCormack told reporters. "We have been told the speed it spread
at was unexpected, so importantly we will establish why this happened."

Investigators believe the fire on June 14 started around 1 a.m. local time on the fourth floor of the
24-story Grenfell Tower. The London Fire Brigade dispatched more than 200 firefighters, at least
40 fire engines and about 20 ambulance crews in an effort to battle the flames that engulfed th
 apartment building in the West London neighborhood of North Kensington.

At least 79 people are missing and presumed dead from the conflagration.
Nine of the deceased have now been formally identified, but McCormack said investigators may
never be able to identify all of the victims...'
SOURCE:

The cladding issue has grown to a concern for several towers around the UK.
Here's an update.

NHS Trusts told to check buildings for combustible cladding.

'NHS [National Health Service] Improvements urges 200 Trusts to pay particular attention to
tall buildings and those with in-patients.

NHS Trusts have been told to urgently check their buildings to establish whether any are clad
in materials implicated in the the Grenfell Tower fire. Regulator NHS Improvement has written
to around 200 Trusts in England asking them to report back when safety checks have been
completed.

In a letter sent on Monday, they asked Trusts to pay particular attention to tall buildings on hospital
estates and those with in-patients - and to report back within 24 hours.

Fourteen high rise blocks across nine local authorities have been identified as having potentially
combustible cladding since the fire at the Grenfell Tower, which is believed to have killed at least
79 people.

About 600 tower blocks identified as being clad in plastic materials are being tested and those
found to have flammable cladding or insulation may have to be evacuated and the material removed.

Police said on Friday that the cladding on the high rise building failed safety tests, but the insulation
on the block was even more highly more flammable...'
SOURCE:

[Mystic Wanderer]

I kept waiting for the tower to collapse on it's footprint like the Twin Towers did; I mean, it was built with even cheaper materials than the Twins, but...
 
Nope! Didn't happen. 

Hmmm...  

[Daitengu]

*hands out shovels ... *   shit gettin deep boys an girls .....  * loads shotgun watching for flying pigs to appear .... *

[BIAD]

I kept waiting for the tower to collapse on it's footprint like the Twin Towers did; I mean, it was built with even cheaper materials than the Twins, but...
 
Nope! Didn't happen. 

Hmmm...  

Ah, that's because no explosives have been used!
Yet.

[Mystic Wanderer]

I kept waiting for the tower to collapse on it's footprint like the Twin Towers did; I mean, it was built with even cheaper materials than the Twins, but...
 
Nope! Didn't happen. 

Hmmm...  

Ah, that's because no explosives have been used!
Yet.

Right-O.      (Is that how you all say it?)

[BIAD]

*hands out shovels ... *   shit gettin deep boys an girls .....  * loads shotgun watching for flying pigs to appear .... *

Normally, the company that built the appliance would be panicking and looking
to call in that model. But...

'...They also said the Hotpoint FF175BP model had not been subject to any product
recall and further tests were being carried out on the fridge...'

SOURCE:

I think the word 'scapegoat' comes to mind.

[BIAD]

After all the hoo-haa about rehousing the hundreds and hundreds of people removed from
apartments and tower blocks with suspect cladding in London, this fire pops up and some
may wonder if it's just a coincidence.

[LONDON] Bethnal Green fire: Flats evacuated as flames spread.

'Residents have been evacuated after a fire broke out on the top floor of an east London block of flats.
A man has been taken to hospital to be treated for the effects of breathing in smoke at the four-storey
building on Turin Street, Bethnal Green.



Smoke was "pouring out of every window of the block" as flames engulfed the flat and spread to the roof,
according to an eyewitness. Bethnal Green Road has been closed as 72 firefighters tackle the blaze.
It is unclear how the fire started.

As the fire spread the roof of the building was reduced to "smouldering wood in about five minutes"
according to eyewitness George Shankar. "There was smoke everywhere, pouring out of every single
window in the block of flats, and you couldn't see more than 50m down the road" Mr Shankar said.

Labour MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, Rushanara Ali, who is at the scene described residents as
"anxious given what has happened in Grenfell tower".
But she said the scene was calm despite thick smoke being blown into the surrounding areas by
high winds...'
SOURCE: