Grenfell Tower fire in West London

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London: June 14, 2017. (PCP) A fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington this morning. Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, Wilson Chowdhry travelled to the blaze to offer help and bottles of water to victims. After the two crates of water I had ran out some local residents invited me to watch the blaze with them on their balcony. It was a very eerie experience. Locals heard screams and shouts for help and some even reported people jumping from windows. Though Police have not yet reported any fatalities one police officer could be heard shouting to photographers to 'have some respect some of these people here have lost family members.' Churches and community centres are providing temporary shelter, food and drink but hundreds of people are dishevelled and in trauma.Their are 120 flats in the 26 story building and around 500 people may have been inside before the fire. At one location where I attended Police were guiding the newly homeless people to Rugby Portobello a centre where food and shelter were available. The fire has been raging for many hours and shreds of the outer plastic decor fell to the floor throughout the blaze. The London Fire service have reported that the first call was made to the fire service at around 1.05am. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has labelled the fire a major incident. London Ambulance services have confirmed that 50 people have been taken to five local hospitals. They have also now declared that a number of fatalities occurred though specific numbers have yet to be clarified. Wilson Chowdhry, Chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Associaton, said: "When I got there the police cordons had not yet been fully implemented. I was able to reach victims and offer them water from the two crates that had been in my home. "People were crying in the streets they were all shocked and stunned. Those that spoke described very harrowing accounts of how people escaped the flats. Many told me that they had not heard any fire alarm. "people heard bangs and pops as the fire raged on. Most people learnt about the fire through kind but panicked neighbours who woke them up with vigorous knocking. One man told me the fire began from one of the lower levels but rapidly rose and engulfed the building. "Many people were still looking for friends and family it was a very disturbing place. This situation was exacerbated as people fleeing the blaze left their phones behind. "When my bottles ran out some of the other locals invited me to view the fire from the vantage point of their balcony. I was there with many others viewing a terrifying yet mesmerising fire. "It was clear that the fire service could not cope their hose pipes did not even reach the top of the building. An off duty fireman informed me that the UK does not have firefighting helicopters despite an increase in tall buildings. It seems the building was poorly designed with little containment of the fire a major concern. "It seems there was no sprinkler system or fire alarm (or the alarm did not work) and few knew what to do in an emergency. Moreover, the external cladding caught fire rapidly and may have helped spread the fire rapidly and fragments could be seen dropping to the streets creating even more hazard. There is need of a London-wide review of fire safety especially in regards to tall high rise buildings - we must learn from this devastating tragedy.

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On demand of our readers, I have decided to release E-Book version of "Trial of Pakistani Christian Nation" on website of PCP which can also be viewed on website of Pakistan Christian Congress www.pakistanchristiancongress.org . You can read chapter wise by clicking tab on left handside of PDF format of E-Book.

nazirbhattipcc@aol.com , pakistanchristianpost@yahoo.com