London fire latest: Grenfell Tower death toll rises to 17 amid calls for 'corporate manslaughter' charges

Seventeen people have died and 17 people are in critical care after a huge fire engulfed a west London tower block in the early hours of Wednesday.

Rescuers say they do not expect to find anyone else alive.

What happened?

The fire was reported at the 24-storey block, Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, 00:54 BST on Wednesday.

It is believed to have started on the fourth floor and spread quickly.

Forty fire engines and more than 200 firefighters went to tackle the blaze.

The fire affected all floors of the building, from the second floor up,
Firefighters worked with the gas authority to isolate a ruptured gas main in the block.

Once it was completed, they were able to extinguish the fire with the help of a 40 metre aerial appliance.
The blaze was under control by 01:14 BST on Thursday.

How many victims are there?

Seventeen people have died, according to police, with the number expected to rise.

The London Ambulance Service says 74 people have been treated in six hospitals - St Mary's, Chelsea and Westminster, Royal Free, St Thomas', Charing Cross Hospital and King's College Hospital.

Thirty-seven patients remain in hospital of whom 17 are in critical care.

Firefighters rescued 65 people from the building, according to the London Fire Brigade. Others made their own way out.

It is unknown how many people remain unaccounted for, with police saying that it is unlikely that more survivors will be found.

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said a "number" of firefighters had suffered minor injuries.

Eyewitnesses said some people may have been trapped in the building, which contains about 120 flats.

Notting Dale ward councillor Judith Blakeman, who lives across the road from the block, said between 400 and 600 people live in the building.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said fire crews only managed to reach the 12th floor at the height of the fire.

The Met Police has set up an emergency number - 0800 0961 233 - for anyone concerned about friends or family.

Grenfell Tower residents have been asked to go to the Portobello Rugby Club at Walmer Road and make themselves known.

Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council said it was helping anyone who needed emergency accommodation and was giving financial assistance to cover their immediate needs.

"Our immediate priority is to accommodate the residents of Grenfell Tower, families with young children, the elderly and the vulnerable," it said.


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