The British public have rallied together to help the victims of the Grenwell Tower fire, which took place on Tuesday night. Donating anything that the flat's residents may have lost in the fire, including clothes, necessities and food, the public rallied together to help out those desperately in need. Firefighters were also commended for responding to the fire within six minutes of the first call and went into the burning building to save lives.
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Firefighters responded within six minutes
Paul Munakr, who lives on the seventh floor, told the BBC of their heroic actions. "As I was going down the stairs, there were firefighters, truly amazing firefighters that were actually going upstairs, to the fire, trying to get as many people out the building as possible," he said.
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People offered room and board for victims of the fire
He continued: "Now, honestly I don't know for certain if people jumped off the building to get away from the fire, but the main thing for me with this incident is the fact that the fire alarms didn't go off in the building."
Firefighters worked tirelessly to save lives
London fire commissioner Dany Cotton said: "This is an unprecedented incident. In my 29 years of being a firefighter I have never ever seen anything of this scale. Firefighters are working very hard at the moment. This is a major fire that affected all floors of this 24-storey building from the second floor upwards."
The community rallied together to help the survivors
She continued: "I have over 200 of my firefighters and officers attending this incident, with 40 fire engines and a range of specialist vehicles, including 14 fire rescue units. We declared this a major incident very early this morning … the first call coming in at 12.54. Our first fire engines were on the scene in under six minutes."
The public gave copious donations
Meanwhile, others opened help points to assist the families who lived in the flat, and gathered donations to help them during this difficult time. Others booked hotel rooms and offered their flats to anyone who might need them. One sign read: "30 beds available at Canalside Activity Centre @ Canal Close." A homeowner tweeted: "I have 21 studio flats with bathrooms and kitchens available to those that need them. PM me #GrenfellTower PLEASE SHARE."
Firefighters were praised by the Queen for their bravery
The Queen also praised the people of Britain for their support. In a statement, she said: "My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost loved ones in the Grenfell Tower fire and the many people who are still critically ill in hospital. Prince Philip and I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services officers who put their own lives at risk to save others. It is also heartening to see the incredible generosity of community volunteers rallying to help those affected by this terrible event."