In West London, a massive fire occurred in the 24-story residential apartment building (Grenfell Tower) in the Kensington area, reported The Telegraph. While the death of six people has been officially confirmed, it is expected that there will be more victims. A significant number of residents have been declared missing.

The fire, according to emergency services, began at night. According to Scotland Yard, the police received the first reports of a fire at 01:16 local time.

As reported by CNN, law enforcement officers evacuated residents from the building.

According to the press, people may have been blocked and may have been trapped as well. The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, noted that emergency services are working in difficult conditions because of the size of the building and the scale of the fire.

Arrangements to rescue people

Over 20 ambulance brigades arrived at the burning structure. As a result of the incident, at least 50 people were injured, and others were afflicted with carbon monoxide poisoning, AP reported. The victims were taken to five hospitals in the British capital for medical care.

Later, the police confirmed the death of at least six people and noted that the death toll could increase.

The building itself contains 120 apartments, with roughly 600 residents.

Eyewitnesses of London fire

According to eyewitnesses, the fire alarm did not go off as the smoke started to rise.

Residents of a nearby area were made aware of the fire because of the screams, the helicopter noises, and the sirens. Some tenants of the building said that they saw bodies as they were going out into the street.

Witnesses also said that people who could not get out waved white towels and mobile phones with luminous screens from their windows to attract attention.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. There was also concern that the building -- built in 1974 -- could collapse. It was noted that the tower was recently renovated, with the price tag for those renovations being £8.7 million.

Meanwhile, all the residents of neighboring houses have been evacuated, and the roads were closed -- including Westway, one of the busiest highways of the British capital, which connects the center of London with Heathrow Airport.

Update: According to The Guardian, the latest reports indicate that the death toll has risen to 12, though that number is expected to rise as the story develops.
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