Authorities said the cause of the blaze remained unclear and is under investigation.
Rydon, the firm that carried out the refurbishment work, said the project "met all required building regulations", in its latest statement following the fire. Now that the heavy black smoke has cleared, the public could only gape at the huge burned-out hulk in west London's working-class, multi-ethnic North Kensington neighborhood.
Gloria Trevisan and Marco Gottardi, both 27, lived on the 23rd floor of Grenfell Tower. After announcing the updated death toll of 12 in the afternoon, Cmdr.
He said that number was expected to rise and firefighters have said they did not expect to find any more survivors after rescuing 65 from the inferno.
Prime Minister Theresa May's office said she was "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life" in the fire. He did not discuss them specifically, saying, "There are always concerns about fire safety in high-rise buildings".
London police say that the death toll in the apartment building fire has increased to 17 people and is likely to rise even further.
They said they had repeatedly raised fire safety concerns, which they said included the building's inadequate escape routes, the absence of an integrated alarm system, and a renovation a year ago that they anxious had left their building clad in panels that were shiny and new but not up to code.
Responding to a question, he said there was "nothing to suggest the fire had anything to do with terrorism". "I could see the flames behind - there's a new cladding system put on the outsides that looks like a new skin, there's an air gap an insulation behind that, to me that looks like a fantastic chimney for the fire to rage around". "It just reminded me of 9/11", said Muna Ali, 45.
As many as 600 people may have been inside the building's 120 apartments when the blaze started and apparently raced from a lower floor to the top of the tower.
" The fire is not supposed to spread from one flat to another. It had completely spread within half an hour".
"People were starting to appear at the windows, frantically banging and screaming", Lamrani told Britain's Press Association news agency.
Some residents threw a baby and other children out the window to escape the flames.
The fire reportedly trapped many residents in the building - dozens are still missing.
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"I spoke to one of my officers, who was very near when someone came out the window, and he was in tears".
Nassima Boutrig, who lives across from the building, said she was awakened by sirens and smoke so thick that it filled her home as well. "A lot of people said, 'Help!" Help! Help!' The fire brigade could only help downstairs.
A blog post from Grenfell Action Group in November said "only a catastrophic event" would expose the concerns residents had.
Edward Daffarn, who lived on the 16th floor, said the building's fire alarm didn't ring. The local council said families with young children, elderly residents and the vulnerable were given "immediate priority".
"I'm lucky to be alive".
Ms Cotton said the number of people who are unaccounted for is still unknown as some may have got out by themselves or gone into other flats.
More stories of residents' desperation during the catastrophe emerged.
People have been so quick with donations to the victims that many community centres are now 'overwhelmed.'
Built in the 1970s, the housing block was recently upgraded at a cost of 10 million pounds ($12.8 million), with work finishing in May 2016, according to the local council.
Overall KCTMO was handed £11 million a year ago by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to manage its housing stock which consists of 6,900 rentable homes and over 2,500 leasehold properties.
May added that the community around the Grenfell Tower were right to demand answers which is why she has ordered a public inquiry into the incident. "They don't care about fire safety".
Neighbors began helping survivors with clothing, food and water as well as offering shelter. Social media sites joined the effort, with some Londoners offering a space on their sofas for those affected by the blaze.
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