Having lived in London and visited there just four weeks ago, this whole thing saddens me. This fire, I have heard suggestions it was set by terrorists living on the second floor????
No, almost certainly started as accidental kitchen fire, perhaps a fridge or other electrical appliance. What is frightening is that it spread within minutes - everyone is blaming the non-fireproof external cladding that was put on recently, but actually the fire spread internally almost as quickly, so sounds to me as if the 'compartmentalisation' that is meant to confine any fire within the flat where it started completely failed.
The fire brigade arrived within 6 minutes of the first 999 call, by that time it was already out of control - they went in sheltering under riot shields from the falling burning debris, managed a partial evacuation as far as the 15th floor with the building in flames and the smoke so thick they could only see inches, and all thinking '9/11' - fully expecting the building to come down on top of them.
Looks like the death toll may be 79 - that's actually less than they thought in the first day or two.
This is vid from fire engine cab as first team arrive.
[video]http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/theres-kids-in-there-firefighters-first-glimpse-of-grenfell-tower/vi-BBCWwRv?ocid=ientp[/video]
From these images of the entire building engulfed in flames, one would think it had been built entirely of wood. It is heartbreaking to see what looks like two people in one of the windows, with one of them hopelessly waving a sign. :[ Many now living in high-rises must be wondering if their own buildings are fire traps as well.