London fire

Too awful for words. Made me weep.

Piers Morgan really pushing the chap whose firm did the refurb and the cladding seems to be the issue........and the residents seem to have alerted the council to their concerns. Why is it that every time there is crisis, the people on the ground have spotted the hazard and reported it and those in power have ignored the warnings.

One way out of a building that size??

I think I must be a genius of some sort because I can see at once the risks........

Now Sadiq Khan is speaking about Borough Market being reopened and how we should all shop there' and be 'resilient'.....as an alternative perhaps to doing things right in the first place.

We have a dearth of true experts and a blessing of emergency services and that needs to change. All praise to the rescue services at the scene.

Oh * Michelle* that thought never entered my head - I do hope not.

I was caught in a tower block 19 floors up in Hong Kong many years ago when my children were 6months & 3. The smell,smoke & terror I felt trying to get down all the stairs continues to haunt me & came flooding back when I read this. My heart goes out to them all.

Thought go out to all involved in this appalling tradgedy , the police, LFB, LAS and of course the ordinary Londoners who've lost their lives or been injured.

As radicalnan said, all praise to the emergency services.

Such a terrible disaster.

Horrible. And yet still the high rises go up! Boris said he'd stop it but the London skyline has been desecrated and the poor inhabitants of these monstrosities live without space and gardens and with the ever present risk of these nightmare events happning.

Happening.

My DD and her family live in an 8th floor flat in a converted woolen mill. The precautions against fire there are very stringent. You can barely light a birthday candle without the fire alarms going off and the fire service arriving - there is a direct link from the flat alarms to the fire station. And there is no gas in the building.

It sounds as though no fire alarms went off in the London fire which is very strange. Those poor poor souls - it does not bear thinking about.

When, WHEN will we learn not to build residential blocks higher than the fire brigade can reach?????

My heart goes out to all involved sick of hearing lessons will be learned why don't powers that be look into people's concerns before these things happen I know not everything can be predicted but they seem to be ignoring a lot of people's worries eg terrorists being pointed out but not checked what a horrid world when money comes first

I know this block very well, as I lived up the road from it in another council block and was a resident representative in the area for many years, before leaving London. I contacted my friends this morning, who live on that particular estate and they are safe, but have been out all night helping people. This is very close to home for me and I am absolutely broken hearted to put it mildly.

I am afraid to turn the news on in the morning the terrible events that are happening all too often. My thoughts are once again with the people of London and all concerned with this horrific fire. I pray for the residents and for the safety of the brave firemen and women.

Just burst into tears when a boy on BBC News said, "This is Ladbroke Grove...We don't have a lot, but we have each other."

Luckygiryl It sounds as thought there were no fire alarms and no indoor risers for the hoses to be connected to. Normally the fire brigade would expect to be able to work from inside as well as outside a building like that.

Shocking news, so many fatalities young children as well. .

Absolutely dreadful news, as an ex nurse who worked on a&e & specialist burns unit I know how staff at these hospitals are copeing right now , my thoughts & heart goes out to all the emergency services dealing with this . Residents of the flats & all concerned. I lived in a top floor flat years ago & that was my biggest concern FIRE & how to escape. ,!!!
Being told to stay in when the fire door keeps you SAFE for 1 hr is shocking .
Words are totally inadequate but thank you to all people who are helping these poor folk .

I, too, had flash backs to 9/11.

I have never trusted these tower blocks with central core fire escapes. In the 1960s I worked on the 1st floor of such a block, a fire started at the exit of the fire escape, where someone had piled rubbish and someone else thought it 'funny' to set on fire, so it couldn't be used. With no power or safety lighting to the adjacent main staircase, someone in a wheeelchair had to be carried down it from the 11th floor.

Thankfully, I was off sick that date, but since then I have never accepted nor believed that these blocks are not a fire risk and there have been enough incidents, with fatalities in several different blocks to show that to be true.

The whole thing is so sickening. Those poor people. Which crazy person gave the advice to 'stay inside' in case of fire! It does seem as if the building was badly equipped to cope with a fire. Yes, I am sure 'lessons will be learned,' but that is no help to the victims and their loved ones. And besides, this is not the middle ages. Surely all high rise buildings should be safe in this day and age.

Heads will roll for this. Yet another local council not caring about the poorer residents . What on earth is that tower made of that it can burn for ten hours so fiercely. We tut tut when this happens in third world countries , as their building regs aren't as strident as ours, or so we thought. Their cost cutting has killed people , put firemen at risk and rendered people homeless . I doubt many could afford contents insurance.

My first thought was arson too. It seems to have spread so quickly.
It's getting that I dread turning on the radio in the morning.

Those firefighters deserve a medal not further cuts.
My heart goes out to all involved.

I'm sitting in the peace and tranquillity of my garden and counting my blessings. All the unnecessary irritants of everyday life feel very trivial today.

Angharad56 I can only echo your feelings. This is such a tragedy, I can only hope those responsible (Council, Artictects, Building Company etc) are made to pay. It's left me feeling very "down" on a beautiful day. I shall go into my garden & thank God (or whoever) for my blessings, of which there are many.

This truly horrific fire has made me think once again how fortunate I am not to live in a tower block. I cannot imagine how dreadful it must be knowing you have no escape. Yes, it was so reminiscent of 9/11

Let us hope that the Fire Services are properly funded always. They are so brave and are not sufficiently appreciated.

It's awful. Those poor people my heart goes out to them all. The bravery of the emergency services is second to none and they have been stretched and tested so much these past few weeks. What makes my heart swell is the amount of good people out there that show up to help in many different ways - well done to every single person who is helping