Police commander Stuart Cundy says he can "confirm six fatalities at this time but this figure is likely to rise during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days".
"Our priority is to assess the level and nature of injuries and ensure those in the most need are treated first and taken to hospital", the London Ambulance Service service said. The smoke stretched for miles (kilometers) across the sky after dawn, revealing the blackened, flame-licked wreckage of the building, which was still burning over 12 hours later.
The refurbishment was completed by private construction firm Rydon Ltd, after the project was put out to tender in 2014.
"There was bits of building falling off all around me, I scalded my shin on a hot piece of metal that had fallen off the building", said Jodie Martin, who lives close to the building and had gone to the scene to try to help.
A bouquet of flowers has been placed among the ashes near the site of the apartment building fire in west London.
A baby was caught by a member of the public after being dropped from Grenfell Tower as it was engulfed with flames, a witness said.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire", he says in a post on the brigade's Facebook page.
London Fire Brigade said it had rescued 65 people from the building. "We will be soon making contact with next of kin".
The building is the Grenfell Tower in the North Kensington area. "It's unbearable hearing someone screaming for their lives at #grenfelltower".
"I saw people jumping out of their windows, the building was literally on fire, the ambulances, the police".
"We could see a lot of children and parents screaming for 'Help! They couldn't stop the fire". "How can you forget that?"
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Boutrig said her friend's brother, wife and children lived in the building and that her friend was waiting to find out if they were OK. They anxious that should a fire break out, residents would find it hard to get out because of the unnecessary blockages in the walkways.
'By the time that we got downstairs, the fire had gone all the way up and it was just about reaching our windows on the 17th floor.
A July 2014 newsletter for residents said the tower building was designed "according to rigorous fire safety standards" and recommended that residents stay inside their apartments in the case of a fire. Onlookers recall seeing residents leap out of their windows fearing that they would die of suffocation.
"Over 200 firefighters and officers are attending this incident, with 40 fire engines and a range of other specialist vehicles, including 14 fire rescue units in attendance".
Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 and underwent a £10M refurbishment a year ago.
"While the fire risk assessment for each block is usually reviewed annually, we will be revisiting any conducted more than three months ago as an extra precautionary measure to reassure residents".
Ruks Maudu was in the building at the time of the fire with her grandson.
Mayor Khan said the advice would be looked into.
Angus Law, from the Centre for Fire Safety Engineering at Edinburgh University, said the blaze seemingly had similarities with other recent fires worldwide.
Residents were told to stay in their apartments in the event of fire, the Independent reported.
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