Eyewitness: The time for answers will come, but help is more urgent
By Matthew Thompson, home and political correspondent, reporting from Dagenham for Sky News
As we arrived first thing this morning, the fire was smouldering, but it was a mere shadow of the inferno that had engulfed the building a few hours before.
Many residents fled with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
Those who have nowhere else to go have been moved to a leisure centre a mile or so away.
There, amid a mass of water bottles, foil blankets and plastic plates, families are huddled, shell-shocked, and facing an uncertain future.
Drilon Nezaj, carrying his 17-month-old daughter in his arms, told me his flat was directly above the source of the fire.
He’d been at a friend’s house for dinner when the baby had fallen asleep, so they decided to stay the night. “She saved our lives,” he said.
Another woman, Kasia, said she awoke in the night to “flames climbing up to our balcony”.
She and her partner got out, with their dog. But fighting back tears, she told me her flat is “all gone. The only thing I can think of is we’re safe. The rest can be replaced. We got out, luckily.”
The building itself has known fire safety issues.
It was in the process of having dangerous flammable cladding removed when the fire broke out.
There may well be a time for recriminations.
But for now, there are scores of people, many with young children, who need help, and somewhere to sleep.
More than 200 firefighters are responding to a blaze in Dagenham, east London, and two people have been taken to hospital.
A “significant search and rescue operation” is under way as more than 100 people, including children, have been evacuated.
The London Fire Brigade said the building, which they described as a mixed-use residential and commercial building, was known to have “a number of fire safety issues”.
Image: Firefighters tackling the blaze overnight. Pic: UKNIP
Image: Pic: UKNIP
A planning application from 2023 shows the building was covered in “non-compliant” cladding.
The scaffolding surrounding the building was in place to remove the cladding when the fire broke out.
Plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the sky as 40 fire engines and 225 firefighters responded.
Emergency services were called around 2.44am and the first crews arrived at the tower block within five minutes.
Four patients were treated at the scene, and two were taken to hospital, the London Ambulance Service said.
The entire building was affected by the fire, including the scaffolding surrounding it and the roof.
The cause of the fire remains unknown but a major incident has been declared.
Image: Pic: UKNIP
Dinesh Raj’s daughter was at a sleepover in the building with a friend, when the blaze broke out.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Raj said: “I got a call around 3am, so I came and picked them up.
“I managed to take my daughter and my friends to my home. They’re all safe.
“I think they started smelling smoke around 3am, and learned there was a fire.
“They had a six-month baby as well, so they managed to grab the baby and my daughter and get out the building.
“I think the majority [of residents] managed to step out before the fire started spreading.
“But everything they have is back in the building and we have no clue what happened.”
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Image: Dinesh Raj, speaking to Sky News
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1:44
‘Major incident’ declared after tower block fire
The fire is producing heavy smoke and locals are advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “A full simultaneous evacuation of the building was immediately carried out and a significant search and rescue operation is under way.
“The Brigade’s Control Officers have taken 16 calls to the fire, including successfully giving vital fire survival guidance to a number of people.
“We are also using new equipment such as drones and our 64-metre turntable ladders and 32-metre turntable ladders to provide incident commanders with a vantage point for assessing the scene.
“They are also being used as water towers to deliver water on to the fire from above.”
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The London Ambulance Service was called to the incident at 2.52am.
They sent a large number of resources to the scene, including members of the hazardous area response team and an air ambulance.
Image: The scene on Monday morning. Pic: UKNIP
Image: Pic: UKNIP
Image: Smoke continued to billow into the sky even as the fire was slowly brought under control
Emergency services maintained a large presence at the scene later into Monday morning.
A rest centre has been set up in the Becontree Heath Leisure Centre.
Local MP Margaret Mullane said injuries from the fire were “minimal” and that she would visit the rest centre later in the day.
Pockets of fire could still be seen burning on the roof of the building later into Monday morning.
Around 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines were called to a blaze at a terraced house in Kensington, west London on Friday morning.
Five people were rescued from flats on the first, second and fourth floors of the building, with 11 people treated by paramedics at the scene and taken to London hospitals and trauma centres.
Half of the ground floor of the five-storey building, which has been converted into flats, was alight at around 2.20am on Friday morning – almost two hours after fire brigades were called.
Image: Pic: Susi Petherick
Around 15 people escaped from the house on Emperor’s Gate in south Kensington before fire brigades arrived.
Fire crews from Kensington, Fulham, Battersea, Hammersmith and Chelsea also fought the blaze.
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage.
London Fire Brigade’s Steve Collins said at the scene: “The fire has spread from the ground floor to the top floor and roof of the property. Crews are working extremely hard to contain [it] further to stop it spreading to adjacent building.”
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in response cars, advanced paramedics, operational managers and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team (HART). We also dispatched London’s air ambulance.
“We have treated eight patients and taken them to London hospitals and major trauma centres. We remain on scene with emergency services colleagues.”
Luton Airport has said it is “unlikely that any vehicles will be salvageable” after a massive fire caused one of its multi-storey car parks to partially collapse earlier this week.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident at 9.38pm on Tuesday and, at its peak, had 15 fire engines, three specialist aerial appliances and more than 100 firefighters at the scene.
Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer with the service, said as many as 1,500 vehicles were in the car park at the time – with up to 1,200 believed to be damaged.
Holidaymakers who left their cars at the airport say they have been “left in limbo” and have received “no help”.
In a statement, the airport said it is “unlikely that any vehicles in the car park will be salvageable” but this was “still in the process of being assessed”.
It said it had provided the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) with the registration details of 1,405 vehicles and, along with its parking provider APCOA, it had responded to almost 16,500 customer queries since the fire.
An airport spokesperson said it recognised it has been an “extremely distressing” time for those affected and it was working with the Association of British Insurers to establish the possibility of safely retrieving any personal items from the vehicles.
The airport said the emergency services have handed back control of the site and it is working to make it safe.
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0:33
Moment fireball consumes Luton Airport car park
‘An extremely distressing time for all concerned’
A London Luton Airport spokesperson added: “We recognise this has been an extremely distressing time for all concerned and we would like to thank our customers for their ongoing patience and understanding while we work through the many complexities following this incident.
“Dealing with such a large volume of inquiries, while an investigation is ongoing, has naturally extended our response times.
“Our team have been tirelessly working around the clock to keep customers informed of developments.
“We also advise all customers affected to notify their insurance company as soon as possible.”
The statement continued: “We are working with the Association of British Insurers on behalf of the many insurance companies to establish whether it will be possible to safely retrieve any personal possessions and, if so, how this process may work.
“Until such time, it will not be possible to provide more detailed information or a specific timeline.
“We remain committed to transparency and resolution and will continue to provide updates as the situation unfolds.”
The airport’s Dart rail transit system, which opened earlier this year, remains closed along with the car park.
An investigation has been launched after a huge blaze engulfed a spa in Ipswich in the early hours of Friday morning.
A total of 17 fire engines were called to tackle a fire at the Riverhills Health Club & Spa in Bramford at around 12.20am.
Dramatic pictures show flames ripping through the building and destroying the roof as plumes of smoke poured into the sky.
Two firefighters were pictured standing close to a hot tub as they battled to extinguish the blaze.
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A number of nearby roads were closed as motorists were warned to avoid the area.
The roads have now reopened but crews remain on the scene, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said.
Providing an update, incident commander, group manager Sally Hammond said: “We were called to a serious fire at Riverhills Spa at about 12.20am last night.
“Crews were here very quickly and established that there was a very serious fire that had occurred in the swimming pool area of the building.
“The crews worked really hard and really quickly in order to save the main part of the building, which we did.
“In the morning there will be a full and thorough investigation as to the cause of this fire.”
Police and ambulance services were also dispatched to the scene.
Image: Firefighters were called to the scene in the early hours of Friday morning Pic: Twitter / Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service
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The spa has posted an announcement on Facebook that it will be closed on Friday.
It said: “You may have already seen on local news that very sadly there has been a large fire at the club overnight.
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“As a result Riverhills will be closed today (Friday 23 June) to all members and guests while we gain access to the building and assess the damage.
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“We will of course update you once we have further information but please understand that we currently have no phone systems or internet access on site.
“We are extremely grateful to the work of Suffolk Fire and Rescue and the other emergency teams that responded to this incident and brought the fire under control.”
The spa also thanked customers for their understanding and said it would provide a further update as soon as possible.
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A firefighter has died after a blaze at a former department store in Edinburgh, Scottish police have said.
Barry Martin, 38, from Fife, sustained serious injuries while fighting a blaze at the historic Jenners building on Rose Street on Monday.
He had been in a critical condition at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh but died today, Police Scotland said.
Four other firefighters who were also taken to the hospital for treatment and were subsequently released.
Two were treated for burns and two for smoke inhalation.
A police officer was also treated for smoke inhalation at the hospital and later released.
Superintendent David Robertson, of Edinburgh Division, said: “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Barry at this very difficult time.
“Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
More than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which was reported around 11.30am.
Witnesses saw a soot-covered firefighter being helped from the building by colleagues.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described the death as a “terrible tragedy”.
“This is dreadfully sad news,” she tweeted.
“My deepest condolences go to Barry’s family, friends and colleagues.
“This is a terrible tragedy for all who loved him – but also a reminder of the selfless courage our firefighters demonstrate in the line of duty each and every day.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s interim chief officer said he and his colleagues were “devastated” by the death.
Ross Haggart said: “I speak for the entire service when I say that we are all devastated by the loss of Barry and our thoughts remain with his family, friends and colleagues at this deeply distressing time.
“Both Barry’s family and the service have been overwhelmed with the messages of support we have received and we thank everyone for the time they have taken to share these.
“Barry’s family would also like to thank all the medical staff who have cared for him.”
Mr Martin is the first Scottish firefighter to die while on duty since Ewan Williamson, who died after being injured at the Balmoral Bar in Edinburgh in 2009.
Four Vietnamese nationals who are believed to have been in a mill when it caught fire have been named by police.
Specialist officers began searching Bismark House Mill, in Oldham, Greater Manchester, after human remains were found by demolition workers last month following a blaze on 7 May.
On Friday, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police named four people believed to have been in the mill at the time of the fire, who were reported missing on 21 July.
Image: Uoc van Nguyen
Image: Cuong van Chu
The force said Cuong Van Chu, 39, arrived in the UK in June 2019 and maintained regular contact with his wife and children until 7 May, but his family had not heard from him since.
Uoc Van Nguyen, 31, was also in regular contact with his wife until 7 May, when he said he was in a mill, police said.
Image: Duong van Nguyen
The force spokesman said Duong Van Nguyen, 29, had been in the UK for about a year and last contacted his family about three months ago, when he said he was living in an “abandoned house” and looking for work.
The fourth missing person was named as 21-year-old Nam Thanh Le, who arrived in the UK in January and last contacted his family on 4 May when he said he was living in a derelict house in “Dam”, believed to be Oldham, and looking for work.
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Detective Superintendent Lewis Hughes said “thoughts remained with their loved ones”.
Image: Pic: Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Objects of significance
Specially-trained officers had been in contact with them, and they were being “fully updated and supported in Vietnam, as they would be in the United Kingdom,” he said, adding the search of Bismark House Mill was continuing to “ensure the recovery of all human remains and any objects of significance”.
He continued: “Though we have reason to suspect Cuong, Uoc, Duong and Nam may have been in the mill during the fire, we are keeping an open mind in regard to how many people were present.”
Det Supt Hughes appealed for anyone with information about any other people who may have been present to come forward, stressing “their safety and welfare is our number one priority”.
He added: “We also continue to appeal for information about the fire or activities at the mill beforehand.”
Anyone with information should contact Greater Manchester Police via 101 quoting Operation Logan or submit information in English or Vietnamese via the Major Incident Public Portal at mipp.police.uk.
Information can also be shared anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
