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

this is a major response from the london fire service. are grappling with.|j should stress, we have not heard anything from the landlords of the block. the grenfell tower action group have been drawing attention to what they call dangerous living conditions at this block. allegedly neglected health and safety legislation by the landlords and of our suggestions from them, only allegations, allegations that a majorfire at this allegations, allegations that a major fire at this block was averted in 2013 when some residents they say experienced power surges allegedly caused by faulty wiring. one of our eyewitnesses was speaking about a similarfire that had eyewitnesses was speaking about a similar fire that had taken place eyewitnesses was speaking about a similarfire that had taken place in that building and we have another person who called as he was not in that block but they were at a similar block nearby. they have been confirmed. since they had a major tower block fire in london, concerned about their own safety. what seems to be also c

the london fire service say they sent 200 firefighters to the building.o to tackle it given the ferocity, we are not sure. we have seen those images of hydraulic platforms with hoses attached doing what they can to try to quench the flames on the lower floors but it continues to burn. and you can see the smoke cloud is stretching right across london, going on for miles. we've also heard from the mayor of london who has declared this as a major incident. no surprise really. we know that lots of people are affected by this, not just lots of people are affected by this, notjust in the building itself but firefighters as well. thank you so much. i know you will continue to monitor this, bringing us all the fa cts . monitor this, bringing us all the facts. a lot of speculation as to what started this. we can speak to paul who lived on the seventh floor and he managed to get out. paul who lived on the seventh floor and he managed to get outlj paul who lived on the seventh floor and he managed to get out. i managed to get out of the building not by a fire alarm.

, a service run by the london firede for specifically traumatic events, was set up. so every firefighter who was in attendance at this incident was seen by the counselling and well—being service. the impact of the trauma, that can be quite profound, can't it? it is horrific. the sights that the members of the fire brigades union in london have seen at a traumatic event of this nature. we have had previous events ranging from the croydon tram incident to the westminster bridge attack and borough market as well and firefighters were exposed to scenes that they did not expect to see on that night. will the support of the firefighters be ongoing? you do not get over something like this in one night. how long will the support be there for? there is no telling how long it is going to last in the minds of firefighters. the support needs to be there for entirety and for firefighters for their future. the unfortunate thing is that under the cuts previously when borisjohnson was mayor we suffered extreme cuts to the fire service

well, this fire broke outjust over four hours ago according to the london fire service.said it was burning from the second to the 27th floor of this tower block. you can see it has diminished slightly now because most of the block has burnt out, most of the combustible material has caught alight and burnt out and be fire is steadily diminishing hour. he might be able to see the hoses on the base of the building. the one on the left is from an automated hydraulic platform. 0ver is from an automated hydraulic platform. over one hour ago we saw one person at a windowjust behind that platform — we saw that person briefly, and then we hope they were rescued by the fire service who were inside the building using breathing aparajith. in the last few minutes we have had an update from the london ambulance service —— aparajith. they were called at 1:30am in the morning and they say they sent a number of resources to they sent a number of resources to the team, including the hazardous area response team and 20 ambulance crews. they are working closely with london fire brigade and

i'm what i would like to ask boris johnson as matter of london he might the cutbacks to the london fire service that directly resulted in a high end number of deaths in the recent grenfell's how a tragedy while he is how to pull a poor thing in sixty five million british taxpayers' money into what is effectively al-qaeda civil defense group the white house that's right vanessa be to cover the syrian crisis on the grounds of multiple times throughout the conflict thanks for giving a syringe that i don't. racial tension in the united states is making headlines yet again a university professor from connecticut received death threats after you made a facebook post and it called for an end to white supremacy using an expletive laden version of the hash tag let them die post was meant as a comment on the shooting of a republican congressman just last week at the school of anger was so intense the campus was actually temporarily shut down professor fled the premises and since issued a public apology of the latest figures show a crime in the us is skyrocketing at least six big cities this type of crime

camden have taken that advice on the london fire service... that is right. absolutely right. lem is regulations have been softened since 2005, when the fire service no longer had to pass plans and buildings after major works had happened. since then there has been this attitude that we need to get rid of regulations rather than focus on safety. i'm really pleased that sajid javid has announced the focus is now back on safety. but there is a consequence to that, which is a lot of work is going to be need to be done in a lot of tower blocks to prevent future fires. you mentioned scheduled javid -- sajid fires. you mentioned scheduled javid —— sajid javid, he's also talked about funding, saying the government will provide funding to local authorities who need it for stop is enoughin authorities who need it for stop is enough in financial terms? authorities who need it for stop is enough in financialterms? no, it's not. i think councils having faced severe cuts in recent years are really struggling. any emergency procedure is going to suck their resources away straightaway. it's n

the london fire service are expecting —— inspecting high—rise buildings.about how estates of the —— are regenerated. the cladding is another matter that needs to come out of the enquiry. people do not feel that is not responded immediately enough. people wa nt responded immediately enough. people want immediate reassurance of the safety of their block. if the fire service and make recommendations you will act on them? of course we will. we wa nt will act on them? of course we will. we want safe housing. there are people who say, what the council was worried about was the appearance of the buildings, it wanted to gentrified them because it wanted to attract improvement elsewhere and it looked an eyesore. that is not my understanding. this was a block of flats which date back to the early 19705. it was problematic because it was cold and residents said it was, it was too hot in the summer, the heating systems were inflexible and the opportunity to upgrade it and improve it without having to move residents out appeared to be an attractive way forward. quite r

fire spread. latest numbers we can bring new is that the london ambulance service has said it has treated more thaneen taken to hospital. the london for a good —— been taken to hospital. the london fora good —— fire been taken to hospital. the london for a good —— fire brigade confirming a number of casualties as has the metropolitan police. people have been urged to stay away from the area. this is where we leave you on breakfast but you can keep date with events when victoria derbyshire ta kes with events when victoria derbyshire takes over with the bbc news special. there will be continued coverage throughout the day on bbc news and updates here on breakfast from 6am. until then goodbye. good morning this. is bbc news. it's 9am. a huge fire has torn through a block of flats in west london. a number of fatalities have been confirmed and people are still thought to be trapped. there was smoke everywhere. literally everywhere. there was people downstairs. there was bits of the cladding falling off the block that was on fire. people screaming. after a couple of minutes because obviously people were

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 servicere 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 t

london fire brigade and over the —— themselves, the london fire brigade and overthe —— 60 by themselves, the london fire brigade and over the —— 60 by people they had rescued to the care of the ambulance servicee fire spread. what was the fire service's reaction when they discovered how quickly the fire had spread in the tower block? the initial incident commander realised the fire was spreading more quickly than he would have expected so asked for further fire than he would have expected so asked forfurtherfire engines than he would have expected so asked for further fire engines as quickly as possible and then another incident commander made it a major incident commander made it a major incident very quickly, enabling us to step up more quickly than if it had been a slower process. the fire will be subject and is now subject ofa will be subject and is now subject of a full fire investigation alongside our colleagues in the met police and obviously any lessons learnt in this will be borne out, not just across learnt in this will be borne out, notjust across london, across the uk and lessons learnt globally. you say you have searched nearly all the building. have you managed to reach every fl

london mayor, sadiq khan. let's bring you the official information at this stage. not much from the london services but right now london ambulance service says five people have been taken to hospital following the fireo the emergency services was at 1:15am this morning, and very quickly in a short space of time — maybe we can see some of the nighttime images, eyewitnesses describing for us this morning a very quick sequence in which the fire absolutely engulfed the building, and early indications are, in terms of those people who lived in the building, there are 125 flats in the building, there are 125 flats in the building, there are 125 flats in the building itself — eyewitnesses say some people did manage to escape, particularly in the early hours of the blaze, and indeed one eyewitness telling us this morning as recently as a:30am or5am this morning as recently as a:30am or 5am there were people still seem in the building, but in terms of the official injuries, we know that 30 people have been taken to local hospitals by the london ambulance service. let's go to our reporter, tim moffat, at the latymer community church, one of the places we understand people have been taken to. what can you tell

richard. >> we've been seeing some of those pictures of not only the london metropolitan police, the fire brigade, london ambulance services deployed in that area and unfortunately pictures of what seem to be injuries or casualties that have been reported. have you seen any movement from the ambulance services, the fire brigade itself? >> reporter: not at this hour. we did see some of the vans moving around but no more fire brigades here where i'm standing and no ambulances here where i'm standing. this incident taking place just after midnight. it is now nearly four hours after that. those ambulances if they had any injured people would have been long gone by this hour, richard. >> yeah. according to the ambulance services it sounds like they got a five minute jump which is so important in these situations but moving very quickly. lucy, stand by if you can. i'll go to steve clemmens, msnbc analyst. the history of the mosque which is not necessarily well-known by folks on this side of the pond as we like to say, the mosque itself was opened in 1990. it would then move into its current building in 1994, but it became associ

|j across london and i will do something about that. i am responsible for the fire serviceworking heroically and bravely since the fire. they have been making recommendations for the government to implement and in the meantime they are undertaking checks across london. those firefighters who are still working on the scene, but others are doing checks across london to make sure local residents have that reassurance. we also will make sure that the london plan has the changes required to make sure developers cannot cut corners if thatis developers cannot cut corners if that is the case. the new blocks being built are safe but it is the older blocks, those spilled 30, 40, 50 yea rs older blocks, those spilled 30, 40, 50 years ago... therefore i ask you, given that those recommendations we re given that those recommendations were made, given successive governments have not acted on them, is it not possible for you as their of london to take the initiative on this, iam of london to take the initiative on this, i am going to try and say to all the local authorities in london, iam

many engines and machinery and fire service from neighbouring fire services helping us neighbouring fire services helping us out today and also the londonelping out during the course of the night. more than 100 police officers. it's 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 ten to hospitals. the gold commanderfor the have been ten to hospitals. the gold commander for the ambulance service will be telling you more about that. cani will be telling you more about that. can ijust will be telling you more about that. can i just say this? if you are somebody who is worried about somebody who is worried about somebody who is worried about somebody who may have been affected by the fire, please do ring the casualty bureau on: 0800 0961233. if you're

the met, working closely with british transport police, city of london police, and london's ambulance and fire servicesdly, six people have died, in addition to the three attackers shot by police, and there are at least 20 casualties taken to six hospitals across london, but numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market to enable the emergency services to continue this operation. this investigation, as i said, is led by the counter—terrorism command and we'd ask for help from the public in the following way — anyone who's got any images or film from the incident tonight, perhaps people in the area, can help by uploading it to www.ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk and you can get that on various newsfeeds. of course, our thoughts are with those who are involved and those concerned about loved ones in the area — they should contact our casualty bureau which is open on 0800 0961233. if you're worried about someone in the area, 0800 0961233. looking forward, we are reviewing our plans for policing stance across london and overforthcomi

i anticipate london fire brigade will be on scene dealing with this fire for at least the next 24 and worse. your work i can now confirm that the london ambulance serviceas treated a64 london ambulance service has treated a 64 patients and taken to six hospitals across london including major trauma centres at king's couege major trauma centres at king's college and st mary ‘s and paddington. i can also confirm that a further ten patients have presented themselves to hospitals across london. our thoughts are clearly with everyone who has been affected by this tragic set of circumstances. we continue to have large members of staff including paramedics and advanced paramedics and specialist trauma teams from the london ambulance along with hazardous area response teams that are specially trained and carried specialist equipment such as the use of breathing apparatus to support oui’ of breathing apparatus to support our colleagues in london fire brigade and the ongoing management of the situation. as my colleague the commissionerfor the of the situation. as my colleague the commissioner for the london of the situation. as my colleague the commissionerfor t

many engines and mission of the here and fire service from neighbouring fire service is helping us neighbouring fire service is helping us out today. also londont. more than 100 police officers. sadiq khan. we have got some technical issues. we will try to resolve those and go back to sadiq khan. london police say it may be the case that there are still people and accounted for in the block. we could hear from sadiq khan again. firefighters and emergency services running towards the fire, running towards the danger, whilst encouraging others to run away. we know that in number of people have died. the commander has given the figures that we have. i am afraid it is likely that the figures are likely to go up. we also know that a number of people have been taken to hospitals. the commander from number of people have been taken to hospitals. the commanderfrom london and blood service will tell you more about that. if you are somebody who is worried about so many who may have been affected by the fire please ring the met casualty bureau. if you are somebody who lives in the building and has left safely please let us know you are safe. 0bviously we

the bbc has learned that in the month before the grenfell tower tragedy, the fire service warned every londond done testing on external cladding and found the core in some was so combustible it could spread a fire up the side of the building. the letter is eerily prescient, warning that panels can deform or delaminate in a tower block fire, exposing their combustible core and allowing a blaze to spread from flat to flat. this is one more in a pattern of warnings about the fire safety in tower blocks. and i think it shows the whole system of building control and checks is failing and now needs urgent overhaul. from the charred skeleton of grenfell tower, a toxic cloud of uncertainty and anxiety has drifted across the country. and tonight, two weeks after the fire began, a reminder of one of those who lost their lives. a little boy who got separated from his family as they tried to get out — 5—year—old isaac paulos. "we will all miss our kind, energetic, generous little boy," his family said. "we will miss him forever." mark easton, bbc news. judges at the european court of human rights have re

london fire commissioner. here are some live pictures. i am told that these sure the fire hoses of emergency services extinguishing the flames that have beenng to bring you the latest. he was richard lister. the fire raged through the night. this 27 storey block, home to hundreds of people, was engulfed in flame. in the chaos, it was unclear how many were able to get out. some were trapped inside for sometime at least, standing at windows in the desperate hope of rescue. those trapped in the lower floors could see fire crews trying to get to them but higher up the infernal was too intense. people living nearby alerted by the smell of smoke came to the site and found what they saw. many had come to see if they could help but with flaming debris falling from the tower block their lives were also at risk. they need to ring 999 and there is a dedicated line for this incident, 0k? 0n the ground, police cleared a wide cordon and closed the nearby a40 in and out of london. some 200 fire engines were brought in to tackle the blaze. as it became more intense there was concern the building might collapse with people still trapped inside. many people

resuscitation from members of the police and other emergency services on scene. london fire brigade have attend as well london ambulance service, a statement from senior officer from londonmbulance service, deputy director of operations, kevin, he said we were call 1 12:15 a.m., traffic collision on seven sisters road, we sent a large number of crews to the scene, and advance trauma team from london air a ambulance had been dispatched, they are working closely with other members of emergency services at the scene, priority is to assess level and nature of the injuries, and ensure those in the most need are treated and taken to hospital. that is the triage system we've seen operating sadly all too often in the recent weeks and months in london, in manchester, various incidents whereby most seriously injured are assessed, treated and given the life-saving care, before they are then taken off to hospital. some of the less seriously injured are then treated as well. we can tell you that armed police also attended, this. understandable given that by the look of it, at the moment,

fire. london ambulance service now saying 50 plus people have been taken to area hospitals in various conditions 1:00 a.m. still, going, some hot spots, firefighters still on the scene. it is a 24 story tower. it is called the gwen felled tower. it is in north kensington, better understanding of the location, kensington palace is about a mile away. we know 200 firefighters, this yes on scene, 45 different engines, battling this fire. you can see flames shooting from the windows all the way up the side of the building. at one point, witnesses say they saw people jump from the upper floors. >> people said because this side, already burning, so they couldn't get down. so like standing and feeling useless. >> it was just so difficult getting out. resident say the fire started on the lower floor, and it quickly spread upward. they also say they've been warning local authorities about fire issues, the billing was built back in the 70s, recently went through multi-million dollar renovation. but they say it was all cosmetic and no safety features were upgraded, of course still looking at a cause. >> con

fire services to be reversed. will the prime minister commit to adequate funding to enable emergency services and the london fire brigade to carry out this work and reverse the cuts to the funding of fire services that have made their lives so difficult? these people have quite literally our lies in their hands. in short, where is the funding? in re ce nt in short, where is the funding? in recent years london has seen many high—quality high—rises built, financed with foreign money, and then left empty for years with the kitchens in clingfilm and christine. and while we understand there are occasions when a landlord will leave an apartment empty, when brand—new properties are empty for many years, does the prime minister think it is right to discuss with the chancellor changing the taxation regime so that as in new york city these people face punitive taxation? my wife and i mentor, employed and encouraged a young woman who lost her life with her mother on the 20th floor of g re nfell tower. her mother on the 20th floor of gre nfell tower. 0n her mother on the 20th floor of grenfell tower. on their behalf and all of the

i think they have operations support units who have turned up, london fire brigade, in addition to the usual emergency servicesot ambulances, the fire brigade, loads of helicopters above, and also i just saw the leader of the chelsea council, nick patrick browne, who has just attended and i believe council, nick patrick browne, who hasjust attended and i believe he is talking with a new scale now. and i think everyone is just horrified. —— with news now. especially in the early hours, everybody, when it was com plete early hours, everybody, when it was complete darkness, and it was ablaze, everyone's eyes were transfixed on the building and praying that people would survive. safiyah, what do you know about the building itself, about the residents — what kind of community live there? it isa — what kind of community live there? it is a very diverse community. just mainly families, loads of young children. you know, nobody would have expected this — lovely people, right next to a new school which was just built, kensington or dredge academy. you have the impression that there is a big family community here, the l

by the mets working closely with british transport police, city of london police in london ambulance and fire services. at this stage, we believe, that sadly, six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot by police. they are at least 20 casualties taken 26 hospitals across london and the numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market to enable the emergent services to continue this operation. this investigation, as i said, is led by the counterterrorism commands and we ask for help from the public in the following ways: anyone who has images or film from the incident tonight, perhaps people in the area, upload it to w ww .-dot uk police image .-dot uk and you'll find that on various newsfeeds. of course, our thoughts are with those who are involved and mostly concerned about love ones in the area. they should be contacted at concert bureau which is open on 080-96-1233 so again if you're worried about someone in the area 080-96-1233. looking forward we are of course interviewing our plans and fixing across lon

operations led by the met working with british transport police, city of london police and london's ambulance and fire services. at this stage, we believe that, sadly, six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot by police. and at least 20 casualties have been taken to six hospitals across london and those numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market to enable the emergency services to continue this operation. this investigation, as i've said, is led by the counterterrorism command and we'd ask for the public's help. anybody who has images or film from the incident tonight, perhaps those in the area, up load it to ukpoliceimageappeal and you'll find that on various news feeds. and, of course, our thoughts are with those who are involved and those concerned about loved ones in the area. they should contact our casualty bureau. if you're worried about someone in the area 800961233. looking forward, we are, of course, reviewing our plans of policing across london and people can expect to see more police resources acro

the ongoing operation is led by the net, and working with the london ambulance and fire services. at this stage, we believe that sadly six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot by police. and there are at least 20 casualties taken to six hospitals across london. the numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market, to enable the emergency services to continue this operation. this investigation is led by the counterterrorism command, and we'd ask the help from the public in the following way. anybody who's got any images or film from the incident tonight, perhaps people in the area, they could help by loading it to the police site. you will find that on various news feeds. our thoughts are with those involved and those concerned about loved ones in the area. they should contact the casualty bureau. if you're worried about somebody in the area, 0-800-09612333. we are, of course, reviewing our plan for policing across london. and the forthcoming days people can expect to see more police res

operation is led by the met working with steed of london police rngs transport police and londoning bloons and fire servicestage we believe that sadly six people have died in addition to the three tackers shot by police. and there are at least 20 casualties taken to six hospitals around london but numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market to enable the emergency services to continue this operati operation. >> the latest update there from london police. now, world leaders have reacted to what happened in land yesterday evening. australia's prime minister malcolm turnbull tweeted, "our prayers and resolute solidarity as always are with the people of britain in the face of the shocking terror attacks in london." the president of the european union commission yaen jean-claude junker said "our prayers and res lou solidarity are today as wls with the people of britain in the face of the shocking terrorist attacks in london." jens stoltenberg tweeted "thoughts with those affected by the bruta london bridge attacks. we stand togetr

the bbc has learned that only weeks before the tragedy, the fire service warned every london council ding might be much more dangerous than realised if it had a flammable core. a new panel of fire and building safety expert is now advising the government on immediate steps to take. peter bonfield is one of those experts, who also heads the building research establishment conducting the cladding tests for ministers. the government want to be able to screen and inform local authorities, housing associations and private landlords around the country, to inform them about whether or not they have this system on the outside. it doesn't mean the building is unsafe. but it is a helpful information that then stimulates inspections and other things that will help determine the risk or otherwise to the building. many questions remain, however. as the combustibility test been changed? traditional the combustibility test been changed ? traditional testing for product certification checks the cladding panel has a whole. at the government test focuses specifically on the core material inside it. why

although we are monitoring all of the other support services such as the fire bring gades, london ambulance service as well. there has been one person arrested. we don't know motive. we don't know any of the demographic information if you will of that person arrested and they continue to

ongoing operation is led by the met working with the british transport police, and the london ambulance and fires servicesn addition to the three suspects, and 30 have gone to hospital to six hospitals in london, though the numbers are still rising. i would ask people to avoid london bridge and borough market to allow us bridge and borough market to allow us to continue the investigation. this investigation, as i have said, is led by the counter terrorism command, and we ask for help from the public in the following way. anyone with images or a film from the event tonight, someone in the area, uploaded to www. ukpoliceimageappeal. co. uk. you will find that tweeted out on various newsfeeds. and, of course, our thoughts are with people who we re our thoughts are with people who were involved and those concerned with loved ones in the area. they should contact the casualty here are on 0800 0961233. -- the should contact the casualty here are on 0800 0961233. —— the euro. that numberagain is on 0800 0961233. —— the euro. that number again is 0800 0961233. we are increasing police presence across london. in f

sebastian: in the u k, london's fire commissioner has said there is a number of fatalities after a blaze engulfed a tower block in west london. the ambulance service people have been taken to hospital. fire started around 1:00 a.m. you came time. grenfell tower was attended by 200 firefighters. in the u.s., the federal open market committee is expected to announce an interest rate increase today at the conclusion of its meeting. it will also acknowledge recent inflation decline while sticking to previous guidance for another hike before the end of this year and the first step to unwinding the $4.5 trillion balance sheet. we will bring you coverage of that decision from 6:00 p.m. u.k. time. uber -- bloomberg customers can also follow on tliv . in the u.k., theresa may is under pressure to abandon her planned for a hard brexit. that comes as she stitches together a deal with northern ireland's democratic unionist power -- party. germanschoed the wolfgang schaeuble saying it wouldn't be too late for the u.k. to stay in the eu. the u.s. attorney general has denied any suggestion he colluded with russia to interfere with last year's presidential el

it was a combined effort, including london's metropolitan police, fire, ambulance and river services.er, training on this scale is expensive and requires large numbers of personnel and huge amount of planning, so it can't happen that often. but there are new ways to train more people individually. mark chisholm acas been taking part in a new type of terror training. —— has been taking part. since 2015 from all across europe a group of 1a partners including law enforcement, emergency services, transport companies and universities have been working together on a three—year project to create training simulation for real—world terrorist attacks. the project is called auggmed and has been funded by an eu research and innovation programme. part of it has been designed here at sheffield hallam university. rather than build new technologies from the ground up, the hardware and software that is at the core of this training system is tech that is more commonly found in video games. and that technology is proving to be a flexible training tool. you can act out a lot more scenarios that would be

the bbc has learned that in the month before the grenfell tower tragedy, the fire service and warned every londonon external cladding and found the core in some was so combustible it could spread a fire at the side of the building. the latter is prescient, warning that panels can deform ordeal on it in a tower block by next exposing their combustible core and allowing it plays to spread from collapsed flat. this is one more in a pattern of warnings about the fire safety in tower blocks. and i think it shows the whole system of building control and checks is failing and now needs urgent overhaul. from the charred skeleton urgent overhaul. from the charred s keleto n of urgent overhaul. from the charred skeleton of grenfell tower, a toxic cloud of uncertainty and anxiety has drifted across the country. and tonight, two weeks after the fire began, a reminder of one of those who lost their lives. a little boy who lost their lives. a little boy who got separated from his family as they tried to get out. we will all miss our kind, energetic, generous little boy, his family said. we will miss him foreve

alison: a moment of silence held in britain for the 79 people who died in a high-rise fire in london. emergency serviceworkers bowing their heads in respect to the victims. today we are also getting a first look inside the scorched tower. investigators now believe new insulating panels that are banned in the u.s. fueled that fire. they were added to the building in larry: coming up, the new normal. how one alexandria neighborhood working to recover after the shooting targeted members of congress last week. alison: plus, just weeks after the park lot reopened while all of roosevelt island is closed again tonight. larry: later, an off-season win for the skins in the fight over the team's name. >> plus, a runaway tow truck. and police say this maryland man was behind the wheel. the bizarre story when "abc7 news at 5:00" larry: no one likes getting towed but in a georgetown a man went manic. he is accused of punching a tow truck driver. kevin lewis with a story you will only see on 7. kevin: posted signs warn drivers that parking without a proper pass could get you towed from the georgetown neighborhood su

challenging and very difficult conditions to rescue people and to bring this major fire under control london ambulance service has confirmed currently 30 people have been taken to five hospitals. at this time i am 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 we will be here all day and we will provide further updates we are working closely with our colleagues in the metropolitan police and the london ambulance service to bring this situation under control. >> and coming up on the show, our door remains open. france's president says britain could still stay in the european union. but when does that door shut we are live in paris in around 15 minutes time. right here on "street signs. whoooo. you're searching for something. like the perfect deal... ...on the perfect hotel. so wouldn't it be perfect if there was a single site where you could find the right hotel for you at the best price? the

the ongoing operation is led with british transport police, city of london police and analysts and fire servicesstage, we believe, that sadly, six people have died in addition to the three attackers shot by police. there are at least 20 casualties take into six hospitals across london that numbers are still rising. i'd like to repeat our request for londoners to avoid the areas of london bridge and borough market to enable the emergent services to continue this operation. this investigation, as i said, is led by the command and we ask for help in the public in the following way: anybody has images or film for the taken by uploading it to www. uk police image .-dot uk and you'll find on various newsfeeds. of course, our thoughts are with those who are involved and concerned about love ones in the area. they should be contacted which is 080-96-1233. again, if you worried about someone in the area, 080-96-1233. were reviewing our plans and in the forthcoming days people can see police across the capital. finally, it is the public to be vigilant and contact police if they have concerns. >> is this i

be too long will the prime minister commit to adequate funds to enable emergency services and particularly the london firepeople have quite literally our lives in their hands, in short, where is the funding? the prime minister. when i spoke to the emergency services, obviously my first visit to kensington, one of the challenges i gave to them was today have the resources they needed today have the resources they needed to be able to do the job they are doing and they assured me that he did. 0bviously doing and they assured me that he did. obviously the question... the question of what the inquiry will look into in relation to this matter, they will obviously have to look at, as i'vejust matter, they will obviously have to look at, as i've just said, matter, they will obviously have to look at, as i'vejust said, at matter, they will obviously have to look at, as i've just said, at the question of how this was possible but this could happen, the issue around, iam but this could happen, the issue around, i am sure the inquiry will look at the issue around tests that took place on the tower and the adequacy o

i know the part of london where these blocks are. the fire servicemething. this was not an issue two weeks ago. but we had had g re nfell tower. issue two weeks ago. but we had had grenfell tower. precisely. but now they could be going into these blocks and finding other deficiencies with these buildings that cause them to be at risk. if that cause them to be at risk. if thatis that cause them to be at risk. if that is not the case, and it isjust do the cladding, then this could be much more serious. because we could see tower blocks across the country in the same situation. there was a meeting yesterday in camden where resins were able to express their concerns about the buildings, and the council has listened. the daily mirror looks at the cause of the fire at grenfell tower. kilis in our kitchen, it says, and pilots that a fridge started the fire. there is not a huge amount of detail on the front page, but it does show that this american fridge has metal on the back, which retards the fire. in the back, which retards the fire. in the uk, they have

yesterday afternoon, following expert advice, for the safety of our officers, the london fire brigade and the london ambulance serviceed to see that as of this afternoon we are back in grenfell tower and our priority is to bring out those that are still in there. we've worked tirelessly over the last four days to deal with the huge number of calls we've received. 0ver 6000 calls have been received by the police. that is calls into centres up police. that is calls into centres up and down the united kingdom. we've worked tirelessly to establish how many people we reveal wherein g re nfell tower how many people we reveal wherein grenfell tower on the night, and at this point in time whether we are able to say whether they are safe or well. sadly, at this time, there are 58 people who we were told were in g re nfell tower 58 people who we were told were in grenfell tower on the night that are missing and therefore sadly, i have to assume they are dead. we have family liaison officers supporting and working with a number of families. that is 52 families. that includes those we believe have died here at grenfell tower and

view should happen and the fire services they are building a second that is the advice that should be taken. but in this case, what happened is that the fire service and the londonmultiple fire safety checks in those buildings and as a result, there is one clear decision which was to ask those residents to leave until the building could be made safe. i think that was absolutely the right decision and it must be followed and that is what camden has done. as we understand, currently there are 14 high—rise council buildings, specifically council buildings, specifically council buildings, specifically council buildings, and are subject to the same testing requirements. what is the difference between those buildings that have been evacuated in camden for safety of those people and those other remaining tower blocks in which people are still living? there has been 14 test results and for those buildings, tack cladding has also failed this testis tack cladding has also failed this test is that the difference is that in each case... the similarity is that in every case there is a requirement that the local fire and rescue service must make the fire assessment. not landl

fire in west london. the fire commissioner says there has been a number of fatalities. the ambulance service has said more than 50 people have been taken to hospital. the fire started around 1:00 a.m. in north kensington, and was attended by 200 firefighters. we will bring you updates throughout the morning as we get the live pictures. let's get straight to the bloomberg business flash. nejra: quarterly earnings rose at the fastest pace in almost two years. operating profit gained 18%, a hundred 34 million euros in the three months through april. ceo told staff you want to take a leave of absence without disclosing a return date. the company will be run by a management committee as it tries to navigate a wave of scandal. when he returns, uber will strip him of some duties and of point an independent chair to limit his influence. walt disney will delist its first and only outlet in your, ending a 27 year run as an independent company for the paris theme park. it had to be bailed out by its parent at least three times. does he now holds more than 97% of the capital of euro disney. that. is the

there so they can work out exactly who has lost their lives. the london fire brigade, and later the government's chief inspector of fire serviceshank you very much for being with us. we are hearing that scotland ya rd us. we are hearing that scotland yard are saying that cladding on the building failed initial fire safety tests. they are considering possible criminal offences, including manslaughter. does that surprise you? manslaughter. does that surprise o manslaughter. does that surprise you? i'm very pleased indeed that the police investigation is not only running at a pace, but it is releasing very early information that can be used elsewhere, and a huge effort is taking place to make sure people are saving other blocks of flats around the country. that effort that early release of information is very welcome, to allow us to get on with the job that needs to be done. we are hearing 14 other tower blocks around england have failed safety tests. what is your reaction to that?” have failed safety tests. what is your reaction to that? i think it's very sad. it's sad they have failed at all, but i'm equally pleased that every f

>> yes, the london fire brigade and the ambulance service personnel, and like the param paramedics treating an injured person on the sidewalk is what it looks like from here. they are kneeling down and taking care of the wounds and dealing with a person who is pr probably in a live victim, and going by the facts that we can see, is and treating someone as opposed to backing away if someone is obviously decreased. so that is what it looks like, and quick response by ambulance and london fire brigade to treat their victims and unfortunately, they have had a lot of experience with this, and they are quick on the feet, and most of the major cities can deal with this the fast, an london fire brigade is a big operation, and they can get there quick, and it looks like they have, and one thing is that if they are wounded and in a city or tha the has good fire, and ambulance service paramedic, and so, even if the wound is serious,you can live if it is not immediate fatal like we have the great military paramedics and naval corpsmen who can trasave someon and so if you are in a store, fight right the

that's london ambulance service saying. that fire brigade sent a number of sources to the incident to assist the met police who are there, and london ambulance and more information when we have it. zach, i want to talk to you again, explain what happened when you first arrived there. you must have spoken to people who witnessed the event. what did they tell you? >> there were reports from witnesses who had seen people running away. they talked about people coming out from prayers, it's ramadan at the moment. midnight prayers taking place, and as worshippers were leaving the mosque, they were -- reports are that a van approached them, unclear how many casualties. one witness talked about someone in a wheelchair being hit. this caveat with all of this it's hard to say exactly until we've -- in the heat of these incidents, sometimes not entirely clear what happened, but it seems that a lot of people coming out of the mosque, it's a very busy mosque. lots of worshippers, this area is very well known for that mosque and for lots of member

emery of the fire brigades union was on this show and said that people like boris johnson mayor of london the tory government they had blood on their hands because of the cuts to fire services in general is it do you think that the people who didn't listen to you have blood on their hands. i'm not going to get in to an argument with anyone on this issue and start responding to points which you have just made i want to respect that we hear the voices. those people don't i don't want to be involved in the squabble i say we could all be wise off the event it would be wonderful to national and international coverage when each year we'd be raising issues about sprint because we have every year one day said to sell right to try to encourage people to appreciate what script is could do in terms of say did not and we go back coverage it's such a trip it's so unfortunate that it takes a terrible tragedy like this rap forces to be hurt but at least now we all be listened to and i very much hope appropriate action will be taken to be so david amos thank you after the break. from corporate music capitalism to us back to multi-billion dollar not conflicts industry documentary filmmaker