Brnt out lifts on an undisclosed floor, in the Grenfell Tower after fire engulfed the 24-storey building. Photo / AP
Brnt out lifts on an undisclosed floor, in the Grenfell Tower after fire engulfed the 24-storey building. Photo / AP
Heart-wrenching footage revealing the horror of a fire crew approaching the Grenfell Tower inferno has emerged.
At least 79 people are dead after a huge blaze tore through a west London apartment building in the early hours of June 14.
The fire, believed to have started in the lower floors of the tower, quickly engulfed the building, forcing some people to jump out of windows.
Video shot from a fire engine approaching the blaze captures the shock of firefighters at the inferno, with one crew member asking: "How the f*** are we gonna get in that?"
Another firefighter exclaims "f*** there's kids in there", before a colleague asks: "Is it one that's being built or is it an active one?"
British singer Adele paid an unexpected visit to Chelsea Fire Station on Monday to thank Red Watch firefighters for their work at the Grenfell Tower fire.
Adele paid a visit to firefighters following the blaze. Photo / Facebook
"She just turned up at the station and knocked on the window and said she has some cakes for us. So we opened the door to her and then she took her sunglasses off and said: 'Hi, I'm Adele'. Everyone was so shocked," station manager Ben King said.
"She came in, came up to the mess and had a cup of tea with the watch and then she joined us for the minute's silence. We have had so much support from the local community and we cannot thank everyone enough."
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Adele was photographed making low-key visits to Grenfell Tower, comforting those at a nearby vigil for the dead and missing.
She was reportedly "asking if anyone needed help" when she made a surprise appearance at the vigil, and was pictured embracing mourners.
It's understood she arrived with her husband, businessman Simon Konecki.
Outraged bystanders called police after a man was suspected of pretending to be a victim of the Grenfell Tower tragedy to get money from kind-hearted strangers.
Furious crowds surrounded the man on Oxford St in central London on Monday after he was challenged while holding a cardboard sign and appealing for money, the Sun reports.
Photographs show the man holding a sign reading: "I'm legend victim which didn't get help after Grenfell Tower fire".
One witness said he challenged him on details such as the postcode and location of Grenfell Tower, but said the man became "belligerent" when questioned.
Another witness, 36-year-old Ben Keenan, told Metro.co.uk: "It was obvious he was pulling a fast one.
This man was suspected of pretending to be a victim of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Photo / Facebook
"A big crowd formed around him. One guy was saying 'I lost a cousin in the fire' and told him to take the sign down. The reaction was a mixture of shock, disgust, and eventually anger."
Metropolitan Police confirmed the man had been spoken to by officers and "referred to the relevant authorities".
Mayor's recommendations for probe
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has written to Prime Minister Theresa May, setting out the areas he believes the Grenfell Tower blaze inquiry should examine.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, center, speaks with a local resident as he visits the scene of the blaze. Photo / AP
The so-called "terms of reference" of the probe will be determined by the person appointed to lead it, likely to be a senior judge, and will involve a consultation period.
Khan said survivors and the families of victims should be central to this process and outlined two stages of the inquiry.
He said the first would deal with the cause of the fire, how it spread, whether the building aided the fire's spread or hindered residents' escape, if the recent refurbishment exacerbated the fire and if materials were compliant with fire and building regulations, whether warnings were ignored, the adequacy of fire advice to residents, the role of the council, tenant management organisation and other parties in the refurbishment and management of the tower; the response of the fire service to the blaze, the handling of the fire, and co-ordination of support and information to those affected.
Stage two of the inquiry would examine the lessons to be learned from the tragedy; the fire risk of domestic goods such as fridges, whether a re-examination of building design and fire prevention regulation is required and if the regime for checking fire safety is adequate.
