London Fire, 12 Dead, 78 Injuries

On Wednesday night, at 12:54 am, a fire broke out in a 24-story Grenfell Tower in Kensington, West London. 200 Firefighters in 40 fire engines rushed to the scene to save those affected by the catastrophe, however, 12 died and 78 people were injured despite the efforts of these heroic men and women.

So far, the cause of the inferno remains a mystery, but the residents believed that a fire could eventually happen in this building. Considering there was only one entry and one exit, the evacuation procedures contained issues and people were aware of the possibility. However, nobody knew just how detrimental this fire would turn out to be. Theories have led to the assumption that the cause of the fire was either a gas explosion, lack of sprinklers/exits, or faulty wiring.

Though the death count is currently 12 and 78 were named injured, there is a possibility that more people are not accounted for at this time. Many people were rescued by the London Fire Brigade nine hours after the broke out, but some of the firefighters believe that more people will be found in the building. Firefighter and commissioner Danny Cotton said, “we have absolutely no idea” how many people remained unaccounted for to NBC.

Greenfell Tower is composed of 130 units, and consisted of women, men, children and elderly. Many are either looking for their families  or suffering from loss. Part of the building is completely burned away currently, and the fire was burning through sunrise. Greenfell action group stated that this fire would lead to further issues with the tower’s landlord due to the insufficient evacuation procedures.

Our hearts go out to the people who suffered from this disaster in London. To the people who died, were injured, or lost a family member, you are all in our thoughts. We hope you can stay strong through this immeasurably catastrophic event.