One man searching for his relatives said they had been told to stay at home and protect themselves from smoke. Photo / AP
One man searching for his relatives said they had been told to stay at home and protect themselves from smoke. Photo / AP
Questions are being raised about what caused a London apartment block to turn into a blazing deathtrap, as witnesses reveal residents were advised to "stay put".
At least 12 people died on Wednesday when Grenfell Tower became engulfed in flames in a fire described by London's Fire Commissioner as "completely unprecedented".
Witnesses reported seeing a baby thrown out a window to safety to avoid the horror inside. As many gathered outside evacuation centres to await news of loved ones, they reported people following official advice to stay inside, unaware of the true extent of the danger unfolding.
Ahmed Chellah told news.com.au his brother-in-law and his wife were inside with their three children when the fire broke out.
Grenfell Tower advised residents to stay inside their homes in the case of a fire. Photo / Residents Action Group
Another witness Mohammad Jamal, 27, told news.com.au he was yelling at people to leave the building, which people on the street could see was becoming engulfed in flames.
He said many of those inside shouted back "We've been told to stay", following official management advice that says people should "stay put" unless the fire is affecting their own property.
"They couldn't see it spreading," he said.
Former resident David Collins said he had lived in the block for two and a half years and had never experienced an evacuation drill during that time. He also said emergency lighting in stairwells was not working properly.
Other witnesses reported not hearing smoke alarms in the building until they were manually started by fire services. Lack of access to the building due to narrow roads and gas works in the area were also cited by locals as complicating firefighting efforts.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said firefighters were only able to reach the 12th floor and pledged to get to the bottom of whether the response was adequate and residents were at risk.
"The reason why it should be such a big concern for all of us is that there are many tower blocks across London and across the country," he said.
"Many of them are the responsibility of local authorities. We need to make sure that legitimate questions people have are answered."
The high-rise apartment building where a massive fire raged in London. Photo / AP
It comes as the Grenfell Action Group warned that a "catastrophe like this was inevitable" and blasted the building management for failing to provide adequate fire training and advice.
Shortly after news of Wednesday's tragedy broke, it claimed: "Regular readers of this blog will know that we have posted numerous warnings in recent years about the very poor fire safety standards at Grenfell Tower.
"ALL OUR WARNINGS FELL ON DEAF EARS and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just a matter of time."
It comes after a statement in March detailing the "criminally lax" manner fire safety was treated.
"We are on record as stating that it is our belief that a serious and catastrophic incident will be the undoing of this mini mafia who pose as a bona fide organisation responsible for the smooth running of the RBKC's (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) social housing."
Rydon construction, which recently refurbished the block in an $11 million job to modernise the exterior, said new cladding and windows "met all required building control, fire regulation, and health and safety standards."
The company said it would not be commenting further "given the ongoing nature of the incident and the tragic events overnight".
Pete Griffiths, a spokesman for the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, told the Associated Press: "I can't comment. We're getting hundreds of requests for comments." The group issued a statement saying it was focused on helping residents.
