this is bbc news. i'm ben brown in west london where at least six people have died in a huge fire in a high rise block of flats. the death toll, say police, is expected to rise. the blaze broke outjust before 1am this morning when most were asleep. they need to ring 999 there is a dedicated line for this incident, 0k? eyewitnesses say they saw people trapped in theirflats — shouting from their windows — trying to throw their children to safety. there were people screaming. people jumping out on fire. chucking ropes down that they had made out of bed sheets to try and climb out. just com plete sheets to try and climb out. just complete nightmare. there is mothers that have come out and lost their children. there are firefighters that have come out injured that we don't know if they're even going to

come out safe. some parts of the tower are still burning 15 hours or so later and firefighters are still inside searching for survivors. the mayor of london says many people are unaccounted for. my thoughts and prayers as i'm sure the thoughts and prayers as i'm sure the thoughts and prayers of the entire country are with the family and friends of those in the building and affected by this tragic and horrific fire. g re nfell tower tragic and horrific fire. grenfell tower had recently been refurbished. a residents group says it repeatedly warned how hazardous the block would be in the event of a fire. it isn't yet clear what started the blaze or why it spread so quickly. london fire brigade says the scale of the fire here has been unprecedented. we will have all the very latest from the scene. well, you're watching bbc news from

west london and this smouldering, smoking carcass is all that remains of g re nfell tower, smoking carcass is all that remains of grenfell tower, a 2a—storey tower block of 120 homes, some five, maybe 600 residents lived in that block and were most of them, asleep at the time that the fire started just before 1am in the morning local time. the police say at least six people have died. those are known fatalities, but they are warning that that death toll will almost certainly rise. many people are still unaccounted for after the fire. 7a people were injured and taken to a number of london hospitals. 250 firefighters tried to tackle the blaze throughout the

night and some parts of the building are indeed still burning. let's get this report from our correspondent richard lister. just to say you may find some of the images in his report distressing. a terrifying inferno raging through the night. a home to hundreds of people engulfed in flame. residents waking up to smoke and panic. i could smell plastic. so i went to the kitchen. i've opened the window. i can hear shouting and screaming and someone saying, "it's getting bigger. it's getting bigger." there was smoke everywhere. there was people downstairs. there was bits of cladding falling off the block that was on fire. people screaming. just seeing seeing people at their windows waving and just desperately wanting someone to come and rescue them out of their flat. it wasjust awful. neighbours came, desperate to help, but with flaming debris falling from the tower block, their lives were at risk too. they need to ring 999.

there is a dedicated line for this incident, 0k? 0n the ground police cleared a wide cordon and closed the nearby a40. some 200 firefighters were brought in and led many residents to safety. but more than 50 people were taken to hospital and as it began to get light, it was clear there were still people trapped in the building. what floor are you on? seven, yeah. as the tower block burned, people recalled the horror of what they'd seen. people screaming. people jumping out on fire. chucking ropes down that they'd made out of bed sheets to try and climb out. just complete nightmare. absolute nightmare. there is people throwing their kids out, "just save my children. just save my children". and the fire brigade and the ambulance and the police couldn't do nothing.

they couldn't get in. they were telling them to just stay there where they are. we'll come and get you. but things quickly escalated. everyone isjust in shock. there is people searching for people now with pictures out. apparently there is a lot of children missing because there was a lot of young kids and old people living in the block and it went right up. there weren't no stopping it. fire crews using breathing apparatus are still trying to search the building, but the fire was blazing all morning and it's a slow and dangerous task. the final number of casualties is unclear. i'm very sad to confirm that there have been a number of fatalities. i cannot confirm the number at this time due to the size and complexity of this building and it would clearly be wrong for me to speculate further. equally, the cause of this fire is not known at this stage. the incident which has occurred overnight is truly shocking. it's going to take a period of time before we truly understand what has occurred, why it has occurred

and the investigation will be complex and as you would expect, very, very thorough. the tower block is now a smoking ruin. it should have been one of the safest in the borough with a multi—million pound refurbishment completed only last year. 125 families are now homeless. another priority for the local authorities to deal with. we've got to provide shelter to those who have had to flee their homes, but also the neighbouring properties affected because of fear of the building collapsing. but, of course, there are genuine questions, reasonable questions, that residents across the country have who live in tower blocks and we need to make sure they're answered. this is a community in shock. the aftermath is horrific enough, but there will be a long—term impact too. this nurse helped survivors overnight. i've seen some things, but today i can't even describe it. there is mothers that have come out and lost their children. there are firefighters that have

come out injured that we don't know if they're going to come out safe. people have lost their homes. children have seen things. people were jumping out the window. we just need to rebuild as a community now. as the search for casualties continues, so too does the search for answers. what led to this fire? and crucially, how did it spread so quickly in a newly modernised block, destroying homes, traumatising families and taking an unknown number of lives. let's show you some pretty close up pictures of outside of grenfell tower as it is now still smouldering, but that's the cladding you can see around the building that is the source of so much controversy and residents have been talking

about whether that cladding may have been why the fire and the flames spread so quickly, so rapidly. 0ne eyewitness, one resident said it was almost like a chimney effect and that the cladding seemed to go up almost like paper. certainly, we know that the grenfell action group, a group of residents, back in november last year, warned that only a catastrophic event would expose some of the issues that they were worried about, about fire safety in this tour we are block. well, we don't know how many residents were living there, but we think between 500 and 600. jane hill spoke to wyre davies who spoke about how the fla mes davies who spoke about how the flames seemed to have taken hold again later on this morning. thankfully now the seat of the fire does appear to have been put out, but that's after extensive work by, not just firefighters on the ground, but also the use

of a huge hydraulic platform with an unmanned hose and that was able to get to the centre of the fire which had erupted again this morning in the centre of the building and had gone up through the building itself. there are still, having said that, a huge cordon around the building because police and other emergency services are seriously worried about the integrity of the building itself. now, they say it's still probably going to stand. it's not in danger of falling down, but what has happened throughout the night and throughout the day is that a lot of panels and a lot of debris has been falling off the building itself and you only need to look behind me to see a lot of what is hanging off that building looks incredibly unstable. i spoke to dany cotton, the fire commissioner, earlier on and she told me that in her 29 years of service, she had never seen an incident like this. this was unprecedented in her experience. i think that was in particular because of the speed and the ferocity with which the fire spread. i spoke to a local resident here this morning and she told me

she watched as the fire seemed to pick up from about the eighth or ninth floor and spread incredibly rapidly upwards towards the top of the building. very sadly probably trapping a lot of people inside. we know now from the emergency services and from the mayor, sadiq khan, that at least six people have been killed, but they are expecting more fatalities and sadly, the next stage in this process, once that building is made relatively safe, is that search and rescue teams will go in and they will probably have to recover bodies from the higher floors, from those areas where people were unable to get out. there there is a lot of anger here as well. a resident association called the grenfell action group has been in touch with us. they say they're a group of residents from the block of flats who over in recent years have repeatedly complained, have repeatedly made clear their anger at what they say was the real danger from fire within the building itself. they say a lack of sprinklers, a lack of fire alarms,

but also great concern about the types of material used in the building and the refurbishment of this tower block. also perhaps in other buildings around here. for example, there is a community college behind me called the north kensington academy. that was also apparently refurbished around the same time. that's closed because it is within the exclusion zone and there were children there meant to be sitting gcse exams, but there will be concerns about other buildings that maybe used the same building materials, used the same refurbishment materials that were used in the tower block itself. so now we're coming to the end of the first stage which is the containment and the extinguishing the fire itself and very sadly, now we're probably going to move on to a search and recovery stage. that was wyre davies earlier on. the people who did manage to escape from grenfell tower have been put up

ata number of from grenfell tower have been put up at a number of emergency centres where food and water and blankets are being provided for them and hopefully accommodation as well. let's talk to marco donoghue who is the area dean of kensington. the community is really pulling together here? it's wonderful. the local church opened its door at 3.30am. streams of people evacuated from their homes and they were ushered in and given the classic thing that christian communities provide, a shoulder to cry on, someone to chat with, food, water, somewhere to rest, somewhere to sleep. we have had neighbours offering their showers, we have had food stores offering food, we have had a stella mccartney chef turning up saying he wasn't going to cook for stella mccartney and her team today, he was going to cook for 300 people in the shelter. you have worked in this community for a long time. what's the community like? it is a

massively diverse community. in kensington you have got some of the wealthiest streets in the uk and you have got some of the worst deprivation in the nearby streets. today, we have seen all the different parts of the community coming together in st clements church you would walk in and in and see every type of person from every type of background and culture seeking refuge and seeking shelter and you would see people from every culture and background helping. and the people from grenfell from different backgrounds and religions? we were inundated by calls from local muslim groups. we have had local muslim groups. we have had local muslims knocking on the door saying, "i am an off duty doctor." we have had free medical gear. we have had a sikh community handing out water for two hours have had a sikh community handing out waterfor two hours in

have had a sikh community handing out water for two hours in the middle of the baking hot day. it is london doing what london does best, coming together and standing together. and to the people who were evacuated from or managed to escape from the tower block, do they have somewhere to sleep? one of the big issuesis somewhere to sleep? one of the big issues is what we're willing to do for them. there was a rumour that westfield had offered 100 hotel beds. it would be wonderful if the local hotels said, "we have got spare rooms, come and use them." if you have been evacuated from g re nfell tower you you have been evacuated from grenfell tower you would rather sleep in a hotel than in a church hall. the families are homeless, it isa hall. the families are homeless, it is a huge problem? well, ben when you and your colleagues disappear, the churches will continue to press the churches will continue to press the council to see what we can do to help and the community will need to come together and provide accommodation and food and lodging for these people who have lost everything. in the community as well

as this compassion, there is also real anger, isn't there, about how, a tower block in 2017 could simply go a tower block in 2017 could simply 9° up a tower block in 2017 could simply go up in flames? i don't want to prejudge any results from the health and safety executive investigation, but we're committed to truth and love. and there will be a day for truth and a day for answers to questions and we will press the council for those answers and the authorities, the fire services, but today and in the next few days are a day to demonstrate christian love and that's what we're seeking to do. when you talk about people who did survive and were evacuated, are we talking hundreds of people, who you have a rough idea? in our church centre, there are 100 to 200 people. in the portobello trust, there is hundreds of people. the response of local neighbours has been breathtaking. because the other problem is, you know, people who did escape, who are very, very worried about relatives or loved ones or

friends who are unaccounted for? we have seen people coming from centre to centre, desperate distraught looking for a niece or nephew or a loved one and we are encouraging people to compile lists so we can help with that. i think the council are all over that. the council seem to be working their socks off in terms of their housing team and social services team to provide real a nswe i’s social services team to provide real a nswers to social services team to provide real answers to those questions and let's face it, they are the most pressing questions at the moment to try and identify and ensure everybody is found. in terms of your message to people out there, who want to help, who want to give or donate, do you still need food and water and blankets? go on to the website and they will take donations. local churches like st peter's st james' are acting as overflow for practical and physical donations. the key thing is somewhere for these people to sleep tonight. so if there are hotels out there who know they have empty rooms tonight, can they step you and play their part in the

community and offer us some rooms? all right. thank you so much for being with us. that's marco donoghue, area dean of kensington. sparing sometime to talk to us about effo rts sparing sometime to talk to us about efforts to help those who did survive the terrible tower block fire in west london. well, mark was just talking to us about some of the emergency centres where people are being looked after and cared for right now and our reporter tom burridge has been along to one of them. grief when it's raw. this area is known for london's notting hill carnival. today, people struggling to understand how a fire could burn down a whole block of flats with such a devastating effect. this man escaped from his flat on the fourth floor. it was so dark and so much spoke. —— smoke. people with luggage,

so much confusion. there was no sound of alarm or bells whatsoever. this was really horrific. there was a man who threw two of his children. and this lady told us a friend and her three children were trapped high up in the building. a friend told me that they have been looking for her since 2am and they couldn't find anything. theyjust told me to go to hospital and as you have seen, we don't know nothing what happened. we don't know if they are alive or dead. i grabbed an extinguisher and i tried to put it out and it didn't work. we had no chance. the kitchen started to fill with smoke, so i had to run out of the building, grab my telephone and my passport and they are the only things i have got at the moment. when the left—hand side of the building was on fire, i remember seeing on the right—hand side, i remember seeing what i could tell was a woman and a young child, a young man or something,

putting their heads out the window. this community woke to a nightmare. whether an accident or something more sinister, this is for all the wrong reasons anything, but a normal day. as you can see, people have come out into the street this morning. there is disbelief, some anger too. there are the charred remains of the building all over the street here, it is lifted, and there is a stench of the fire in the air. and this is a page of someone's maths homework. in no time, people rallied around. handing out and collecting, helping as they could. please do spread the word. if people just come down, empty their pockets, that would be amazing. come out of their homes. really via social media, weirdly, and the response is amazing. it's a very caring team in there. we were here two hours ago and we are back,

so many more people. there were this morning also small moments of relief and joy among all the sadness. i've just found out from a very good friend, her daughter was separated from her, we've just got news that, thank god, she has been found. it's just really, it is unbelievable. she has been found. she is in a hospital though. there was plenty of confusion about how many people have been killed, whether people this morning were still trapped. from the rumours circling among the residents here, it doesn't sound good. tom burridge reporting and tom is live with me now close to grenfell tower. tom, just meeting some of those people in these emergency centres, what's the mood? well, when you walk around here ben, it is easy to find people who knew people living in the apartment block and a lot of them are unaccounted for. i

met a woman close to here an hour ago. she knew a woman, with three young children inside. she said incredibly, she believed the 15—year—old daughter had made it out, but two young boys and the mother unaccounted for. i met another woman with a similar story near the community centre. there is that incredible story of a woman who threw her baby out of her apartment down to residents below who made a make—shift parachute. we think the baby survived. we don't know what happened to his or her mother, but these stories are replicated, the authorities are only confirming six deaths, but the anecdotal evidence that we're picking up on the ground doesn't look ground. in terms of those who survived or evacuated, where are they going to sleep tonight and who is looking after them? it is. there is an incredible amount of help which people are giving. there are local community groups and centres which are really rallying around. you go down to the main road which sort of leads up the

other side of the apartment block and there is this table outside the community centre and it is just full of clothes, bedding, food, water, there has been an amazing response, that's the positive note and people are doing what they can with their time, money and personal possessions. as well as grief and shock, there is some real anger out there as well, isn't there, about how this could happen in 2017, that a whole tower blockjust goes up in fla mes a whole tower blockjust goes up in flames like this? and for the fire to have spread so quickly. you only have to look at the videos that local residents took of the early stages of the fire and the flames spread incredibly quickly throughout the apartment building and there is angen the apartment building and there is anger. a lot of people have said to us anger. a lot of people have said to us that residents, they knew, living in that apartment block, they say, had complained on numerous occasions about faults in the building. so there are serious questions to be a nswered there are serious questions to be answered about what work was done, what materials were used and there needs to be a full and thorough

investigation. it's early days and of course, when you see the sort of charred remains of the building which is still smoking this evening, over there, you know, you get a sense of how long the investigation is going to take. the fire crews we re is going to take. the fire crews were saying it will take them at least 2a hours the physical work on the building to make it safe and then the investigation will begin and that's going to take far longer. tom, thank you very much indeed. that's our correspondent tom burd ridge who has been here all day talking to those who survived and we re talking to those who survived and were evacuated from the block. 0ur correspondent smitha mundasad is at chelsea and westminster hospital. we arejust we are just three miles away from the fire here and we understand around 25 patients are being treated here. now, that might be because there is a specialist burns unit on site and we know that overnight specialist doctors, plastic surgeons, nurses and other members of staff were called in as part of

the emergency response to come and treat the patients. but, of course, this hospital is also for local residents who don't live far away to come and get checked up. a few minutes ago i spoke to a woman, who was a resident at the tower block. she is 17 weeks pregnant and came to get checked out. it was very scary and this building, the weight of the building. the fire brigade couldn't get in, not enough of them? there was no exit to get in. the way to that building is closed. with this blue building, the school and the new

leisure centre, it's too small. she said that her pregnancy is all 0k. she has been checked out here. but that she hasn't heard from friends and neighbours and is very worried about them. here at the hospital, they are encouraging anyone who doesn't need to come to a&e to keep it free so that other people like mariam can come here and be checked out. thank you very much. let's get more from our political correspondent leila nathoo in westminster. prime minister said she was saddened and jeremy corbyn saying how many questions he feels there are to be answered. that's right, ben. it is a strange time in westminster at the moment because we have the government in a bit of limbo without that deal with the dup. no sign yet

of when the queen's speech is going to kick things off and we have a bit ofa to kick things off and we have a bit of a parliamentary no—man's land with mps being sworn in ahead of that queen's speech. so as you say, we have had a statement from the prime minister. downing street said she was saddened by the trablegic loss of life, she was being fully updated on the goings on. at the moment, at apm, there was a beginning of a cross governmental meeting where the government response will be discussed and they we re response will be discussed and they were discussing any additional assistance required for the emergency services, that's being chaired by the fire minister, nick hurd. i mentioned that the mps were being sworn in the commons and the speaker, john bercow who has only just been re—elected, he made reference to what has been happening. all of us will be horrified by the

tragic fire which engulfed the vast majority of an enormous block of flats in london in the early hours of this morning. colleagues, it is not possible to treat of that matter in the way that we otherwise i'm sure would wish to do in the chamber today. the government is very sensitive to the concern that exists on this subject and my very clear understanding is that arrangements are in hand for a meeting with the relevant minister to take place within the precincts of the palace of westminster. the speaker confirming because the queen's speech hasn't yet taken place, there cannot be a statement from the minister in the commons chamber, but he is saying there might be arrangements made elsewhere for mps to address a government

minister about what has happened. jeremy corbyn, the labour leader, very keen for that to happen. he was also talking about unanswered questions. we had harriet harman, the labour mp who had a similarfire ina the labour mp who had a similarfire in a tower block in her constituency backin in a tower block in her constituency back in 2009 and there was an inquest into that fire and harriet harman claiming today that those lessons from that tower block fire haven't been learnt in terms of sort of fire safety and in terms of inspections, the regimes, refurbishments, the materials used, whether they were then inspected to be compliant with fire regulations. harriet harman says lessance where not learnt from that time because we have seen something like this happen again. soi have seen something like this happen again. so i think plenty of questions from labour mps. certainly jeremy corbyn saying there are still many things to answer. thank you very much indeed. we're going to be getting an update on the latest from the emergency

services from the metropolitan police and the london fire brigade and the london ambulance service right here, in about 20 minutes time, we're being told. so the microphones are set—up and we will be hearing from representatives then of the metropolitan police, london ambulance service and the fire brigade who will be giving us more details about what happened here and perhaps an update on the casualty figures. the earlierfigures perhaps an update on the casualty figures. the earlier figures we were given six dead, but the police saying that death toll is very much expected to rise. 7a injured. 20 of those injured in critical care in a number of london hospitals. we have been hearing from the mayor of london, sadiq khan. this was his reaction. good afternoon. the fire commissioner has taken me to see for myself grenfell tower and it is extremely distressing and devastating, can i begin by saying my thoughts and prayers as i'm sure

the thoughts and prayers of the entire country are with the family and friends of those in the building and friends of those in the building and affected by this tragic and horrific fire. i also pay tribute to the amazing emergency services from the amazing emergency services from the fire service, we have more than 250 firefighters, many of whom have been here from the beginning, including the commissioner, there will be many more working during the course of the day, many engines and machinery fear and fire service from nearby fireses helping us out today and also the london ambulance service, more than 100 paramedics helping out during the night and more than 100 police officers and it is worth reminding ourselves when there are these tragic fires, these emergencies, there are literally emergency services, firefighters, running towards the fire, running towards the danger whilst encouraging others to runaway. we do know that a number of people have died i'm afraid and the commander

has given you the figures that we have. i'm afraid it's likely that the figures are going to go up. we also know that a number of people have been taken to hospitals. the gold commander for the ambulance service will tell you more about that. if you are someone who is worried about some of that has been affected by the fire then please telephone us. by the fire then please telephone us. if you live in the building and have left safely, please let us know you are safe. we have to make sure eve ryo ne you are safe. we have to make sure everyone is accounted for. that is the mayor of london speaking earlier. in 20 minutes we will get an update on the casualty figures and what the fire brigade have been doing here in terms of dealing with

the blaze in the 24th story block of g re nfell tower. the blaze in the 24th story block of grenfell tower. they have been trying to make sure all the flames are extinguished. we will be hearing from representatives from the ambulance service and the police, as well as the leader of the council. now we will pause and take a look at the weather. there is a chance of rain in north—west scotland. for much of the uk it is looking dry until sunset. a weather system walking through and some heavy bursts in western scotla nd some heavy bursts in western scotland later in the night. highest temperatures across england and wales and tonight will be muggy. there is a weather system moving east across the uk. it will bring fresh air with sunny spells from any. showers will continue into the

afternoon, especially in scotland where they could be heavy and thundery. temperatures are lower than today, especially in england and wales. it will feel fresher and later in the day. at the weekend there will be high pressure again. temperatures here, in south—eastern england, will reach nearly 30 degrees, maybe exceeding that by sunday into monday. there will be a fairamount of sunday into monday. there will be a fair amount of cloud around. high pressure is building across england and wales. low pressure close by in northern ireland and western scotland. here the maybe some rain cloud around and we may see some outbreaks of rain. you are watching bbc news. i am

reporting live from west london at the scene of the tyre blocks fire that has killed at least six people. —— the flat block fire. the fire broke out while most residents were asleep there is a dedicated line for this incident. eyewitnesses say that they saw people trapped in the flats shouting from their windows and tried to throw their children to safety. people screaming and jumping out on fire. throwing out ropes they had made from bed sheets. a complete nightmare. parts of the tower block

is still burning this afternoon. firefighters are inside fighting for survivors. the mayor of london says that many people are unaccounted for. our focus now is search and rescue and that will move to recovery. we need to provide shelter to those who have had to flee their homes. grenfell tower had recently been refurbished. a residents group said that they repeatedly warned her hazardous the block would be in the event of a fire. it is not yet clear what started the blaze or why it spread so rapidly. the london fire brigade said the scale of the fire is unprecedented. we will have all the latest. i want to bring you a statement we have just had from the london ambulance service. the director says

that following the fire today at g re nfell tower we that following the fire today at grenfell tower we have ta ken that following the fire today at grenfell tower we have taken 64 patients to six hospitals across london, 20 people in critical care, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. 0ver100 foreign medics have the working hard to respond to this incident, including ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, and the staff managing the incident in our operations room. hazardous area response teams are also at the scene carrying specialist equipment including breathing apparatus. a major incident has been declared and we continue to work closely with other members of the emergency services at the scene. we will hear more from the london ambulance service, metropolitan police, here where i am on the street, not very farfrom where i am on the street, not very far from grenfell tower. where i am on the street, not very farfrom grenfell tower. in the next

ten minutes we are expecting an update from all of them. the liberal party leader, jeremy corbyn, has said there are many questions that need to be answered. totally shocked by it. it's the worst nightmare any man can think of. a fire in a tower block. sympathy, support and solidarity to all those that are stuck in the tower or have managed to be rescued, or lost loved ones do not know what has happened to their friends and family. a huge thank you to fire service, police, and ambulance, and all the other emergency services that got there so quickly. they were on the scene within six minutes. but fighting a fire in a massive tower block like grenfell tower is a huge and very dangerous undertaking. just think about it. we are in a tower block that is on fire, we want to get out as quick as we can, the firefighters and the police and everyone else had

to go in. go into that incredibly dangerous place. we rely on them. we should say thank you to all of them for what they have done today, and all the other days that they do it. people have pointed to the last such tragedy in 2009 when someone said there were lessons to be learned about fire protection and buildings. do you think those lessons have been learned ? there were clear lessons to be learned then about the installation of sprinklers and the dangers, the need for equipment to fight fires in high—rise buildings. our country has more high—rise buildings than ever before. look around behind me in the london skyline, you see them all the time. there has to be very strong fire regulations, which there are, but there has to be a stronger sprinkler system installed particularly in residential tower blocks that may be do not have them at present time. those lessons have to be learned and harriet harman the mp for calm well and peckham, who represented those people who suffered in the fire in 2009 has made the point but if you cut local authority expenditure then the price is paid somewhere. do you think actions that should have been

taken somewhere have not been? and not making that statement yet. today is the day to support emergency services and the residents and thank all those that have given other help. food, water, clothing, shelter, support. all those that have come forward to help people in a time of need and stress. and thank you to all those in the community that have come together in the most amazing way to support people. tomorrow is the time to ask all those questions. today, let's concentrate on dealing with the consequences of this fire and trying to bring comfort and safety and safe life where ever it possibly can be saved. if we asked those questions tomorrow, can you give us an idea we might be looking into? the preventative measures that were available not available in the tower. the facilities, available to get in and out of it in an emergency situation. and the numbers of people available to the fire service, paramedics, a emergency services, to deal with a crisis like this. we thank all those

that work so hard in our emergency services but we have to make sure we are properly resourced to deal with this kind of crisis should it occur anywhere else. today, let's concentrate on saving life. will your questions concerned politicians? there has been talk of a review that should have been carried out that some people have suggested was not carried out? a review took place after the fire in camberwell. the government has that review. i believe we need to ask questions about what facilities and resources have been given to every local authority that has tower blocks in that area, and frankly, most do. we need to deal with this. we need people to be safe living in high—rise buildings. do you think any of those people involved current serving front bench politicians?

obviously minister that served and received this report must be questioned. but today, every focus on every concentration must be on saving and protecting life. we can talk more about the injury to have been taken to different london hospitals, including st mary ‘s. what is the latest? there are 16 patients being treated here, three of them are in critical care. this is one of london's for major trauma units and that specialises in dealing with people but these trimmer tic injuries. this isa but these trimmer tic injuries. this is a hospital that dealt with patients who came here after the london bridge attack and before that they dealt with people from the

westminster attack. protocol swung into action overnight when they realised the severity of what was happening at that hour. that means extra people were able to comment. they were expecting many patients and many have arrived. this is a very busy hospital and security it has been put on here. unless there isa has been put on here. unless there is a genuine emergency people are being advised not to come in at the moment. people are being asked to show that they have a letter and they have an appointment. they are saying to people to see a local health centre instead. we have also seen health centre instead. we have also seen families of people who are still missing from the tower coming here, distressed, asking if there's any information their families. they

are speaking to the health care workers here. there are posters outside with a phone number that people are being advised to call if they do have missing loved ones. the phone number is 08000961233. people are being advised to call back. people are coming here today looking for answers and for their loved ones. thank you. live at st mary ‘s hospital there. and i'm going to hand you back to rebecca in the studio. we are going to cross to washington now and the white house to hear from the american president, donald trump, who has been speaking after

an incident where a gunman opens fire on members of congress. as you all know, shortly after 7am this morning, a gunman opened fire on members of congress and their staff as they were practising for tomorrow's annual charity baseball game. authorities are continuing to investigate the crime and the assailant has now died from his injuries. the fbi is leading the investigation and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available. congressmen steve, a member of house leadership, was shot and badly wounded and is

now in stable condition at the hospital along with two very courageous police officers. at least two others were also wounded. many lives would have been lost if it was not for the heroic actions of the police officers who took down the government despite sustaining gunshot wounds during a brutal assault. we are grateful for the heroism and praying for the swift recovery of all the victims. the congressman is recovery of all the victims. the congressman is a recovery of all the victims. the congressman is a friend and a good friend. he is a patriot and a fighter. he will recover from this assault bands, steve scalise, i want you to know that you have the prayers of not only the entire city

but an entire nation and the entire world. america is praying for you and for all of the victims of this terrible shooting. i spoke with steve's wife, jennifer, and i pledge to her are absolute support. president chump saying that the gunmen who attacked a republican congressmen at a baseball practice has died from his injuries. now i will hand you back to ben brown in west london. thank you. the latest we have in terms of the death toll is still six but that is expected to rise. we have a news conference here in the next few minutes with representatives from the metropolitan police, the fire brigade and the ambulance service, as well as the leader of the

council. they may be taking questions about why this tower block could be in golf than flames so rapidly. earlier my colleague spoke toa rapidly. earlier my colleague spoke to a representative from muslim eight, who has been helping those affected by the fire. there are people who need somewhere to sleep tonight and they need food and water and blankets. we are trying to support those who have been affected and the fire. i have been here since 7am trying to support those who have lost people or are waiting for news. we are providing shelter and supporting the local services looking for ways to support the long—term housing needs of the people that have been affected. we

are providing blankets and food and working with local churches and mosques and synagogues to provide help. many muslim families have been affected in this fire in this large arab community. we are here in solidarity to help them where we can. there will be people who have lost everything and i know you have already raised money to try to help people. the british muslim community has raised over £30,000 in a few hours since this tragedy and we expect the nations to keep coming in. we have seeing about poor support from the british muslim community and the british community, which is from plastic. people are bringing clothes and food and medication. there were 250 people in the tower, so we are still to hear

about the scale of the loss, but we will be here for as long as the community needs us. we are going to be supporting them along with other charities. you're providing such fantastic practical support. you must be hearing some very upsetting stories and you're having to do what you can to comfort people. it has been a very emotional morning because so many been a very emotional morning because so many women been a very emotional morning because so many women and children are here crying because they are waiting for news. the inevitability of bad news is the worst thing you can go through. we are providing emotional support and we have here people with special needs and we are people with special needs and we are people coming to provide british sign language and translation services. this is what can happen

when a community comes together at times of tragedy. we will stand together and support them over the next few days. it is a very quick response. there has been an instant response. there has been an instant response and i saw the same this morning closer to the block. there are mosques and churches up and down the local area that are providing meals and foods and many british muslims here are fasting during this time of tragedy. what is important for us is that we together pool our resources and we do our best to support these people who have lost so support these people who have lost so much in a few hours because of the tragic fire. that was a representative from muslim aid. we have been talking to eyewitnesses all day with horror stories about what this all with people trapped

banging their windows and trying to attract attention. we heard from mickey who managed to escape from his home with his partner and stepdaughter. six months ago at there was a fire on the 23rd floor over there and it was controlled in one flat and there were no major casualties. why did that not happen here. the council need to sort out. a tried to save money or something but they have caused a tragedy for people. it is like a horror film. how did you get out? with my wits. i made sure that she was ok breathing andi made sure that she was ok breathing and i got down the stairs. we looked up and i got down the stairs. we looked up and it was involved. if we had been there for another five minutes we would not have been able to get out. your thoughts are of us slow

but those who have lost their lives. my but those who have lost their lives. my heart goes out to everybody, those who have passed and those who are still here. this is true matic, people are not going to get over it. my people are not going to get over it. my life has been turned upside down andi my life has been turned upside down and i have lost everything. we were just doing up the house, all our money, jewellery, passports, close. thank goodness for people's generosity and kindness or i would be walking about in dirty boxer shorts. where will you sleep tonight? up that tree. it is desperate. people are opening their homes. we do not want to lose out on accommodation. we do not have somewhere to go. if they think you have somewhere to go and you get pushed to one side. that was one of

the residents who managed to survive speaking earlier to victoria derbyshire. there is a mood of shock and grief at what has happened here and grief at what has happened here and some anger from residents about how this tower block in 2017 could go how this tower block in 2017 could 9° up how this tower block in 2017 could go up in flames as quickly as it did with such devastating consequences. 0ne with such devastating consequences. one of the first photographers on the scene was from the london evening standard. i arrived at around three year when and i drove along to see the carnage in front of me. i parked nearby and walked towards just to see the whole tower block in flames. it was one of the worst things i had seen in 30 years of working at the evening standard.

your profession goes out the window when you see something like that.|j have when you see something like that.” have seen some of four things for the evening standard but this has got to rate as one of the worst. i concede the fire brigade going end and the acts of bravery there are beyond belief. i cannot think about what it must be like to be a fireman. they put their lives on the line of my hearts go out to all of them who did such a fantasticjob. when i arrived it was carnage. i could hear screaming but i could not do anything. i tried to walk away to a vantage point where i took that picture from another block of flats andi picture from another block of flats and i took the picture from quite a long way away. that ended up on the front page of the evening standard.

the feeling of helplessness we have heard described by many people but they also remark on the speed with which the fire took hold.” they also remark on the speed with which the fire took hold. i arrived at 3am and it was not engulfed in flames, it was half covered on one side, then i watched it get larger and it became engulfed in flames, as you can see in the picture. nearly every floor was alight. within half an hour it became completely engulfed. when the sun came up behind it it was a varied strange scene. behind it it was a varied strange scene. through that lends you must‘ve seen some scenes and some scene. through that lends you must‘ve seen some scenes and some of the windows, things that you will not forget? yes it was not a pleasa nt not forget? yes it was not a pleasant night and there were some scenes we did not print, it is not what you want to see again. it is

the sort of thing we have photographed in war zones are things like that, that is what they looked like that, that is what they looked like this morning, it looked like a scene like this morning, it looked like a scene from a war like this morning, it looked like a scene from a war zone. like this morning, it looked like a scene from a war zone. it was shocking, i have been hit for six, to be honest. one side you knew you needed to get a picture of how big a story was, but they're what point did you sit down and take stock?” have come home now. i have been sitting having a cup of tea but i cannot stop watching the news. i have walked away from it, but it is still there and i can see it. it has not hit totally yet. i hope that the number of people enjoyed stays down as much as possible. just looking at

the scene now live, it is such is romantic image, it looks, how would you describe it? it is a small glowing black wreck that looks nothing like flats any more. it is something we are not used to seeing in london, it looks like a war zone. it looks like fun thing has hit it rather than it going up in flames. you can draw comparisons with the twin towers and we're hoping this is not a terrorist attack, but this is a dramatic scene in london. simon talking earlier to a photographer. we will have more on this at 5pm, and we are expecting to hear from

the emergency services with the latest news. now we can pause and catch up with the weather. it is dry across much of the country, there are some outbreaks of rain in scotland where is also some breeze compared to the rest of the uk. clear spurs are expected. temperatures are not going down very far, especially not across central england. tomorrow you can see the cloud and showers spreading east, introducing cooler but fresh air, and this will be most noticeable where it was very warm today. there may be the odd heavy thundery shower and temperatures down a little. the

temperature will, over the weekend and things will begin to warm up, but england and wales will see the highest temperatures as sunspots and south east england should exceed 30 degrees. today at five. we're in west london where a huge fire has swept through a residential tower block killing six people. police say the death toll could rise. up to 600 residents may have been in the flats when the blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning. eyewitnesses say they saw people trapped in their flats, shouting from their windows, trying to throw their children to safety. it's not clear what started the fire. london fire brigade's chief said she's not seen anything like it in 25 years of firefighting. —— 29

yea rs. it was so dark and so much smoke was there. there was people running down the stairs, some people had luggage,