Grenfell Tower fire

A fire has swept through Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey block of flats in west London, killing at least 17 people in what police say is likely to be one of the deadliest fires in Britain in modern times.

The fire broke out shortly before 1am on 14 June, and spread with terrifying speed up the outside of the building.

A night of horror

More than 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines were sent to the tower in North Kensington. Residents described being woken by the smell of smoke and screams, and some were seen at windows, trapped by the flames.

Firefighters rescued 65 people, and many others escaped down the single staircase. Dozens were taken to hospital.

The fire burned for many hours, and the building is now a blackened shell. Police say the number of dead is expected to rise significantly.

How did it spread so fast?

The tower was refurbished last year, including the addition of new cladding to the outside of the building. Experts are questioning whether the cladding helped the fire spread up the building.

Residents had raised concerns about fire safety. A local residents' group had warned that only a catastrophic event would expose the dangers.

Residents had been told to stay in their flats in the event of a fire, a standard policy for tower blocks, which relies on flames being contained within one flat.

Community response

Local people, churches, mosques and community centres have opened their doors to those who lost their homes, and donations of food, clothes and money have poured in.

Questions

The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has ordered a full public inquiry into the fire. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said there were questions that needed to be answered.

The London Fire Commissioner, Dany Cotton, said she had never seen anything on this scale in 29 years of firefighting.

Tower blocks across the country

Councils and housing associations across the country, including Birmingham City Council, which owns more than 200 tower blocks, are checking the safety of their buildings. Birmingham has said its blocks have different cladding and that it will review its fire safety measures.

Residents of high-rise blocks around the country have been left worried about their own safety.