At least six dead in London tower inferno

UPDATE: London police now say that 12 people have died from this morning’s apartment tower fire and that the death toll is expected to contine to rise.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (8:34 p.m.): Six people died and another 74 sustained injuries after a fire engulfed a 24-story apartment tower in West London early Wednesday morning. Police commander Stuart Cundy confirmed the deaths and said the number was likely to rise. London’s Ambulance Service said 20 of the injured remain in critical condition. Fire commissioner Dany Cotton said London’s Fire Brigade first received reports of the blaze at 12:54 a.m., and the first engines arrived at the scene in six minutes. More than 200 firefighters battled the blaze that quickly consumed the building. Witnesses said they saw people jump from the burning structure while others used flashlights to signal for help from the higher floors. “In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never, ever seen anything of this scale,” Cotton said. Security officials have yet to determine what caused the fire. Cundy said the investigation would be “complex and very, very thorough.”

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