London Fire Brigade (LFB) were called to reports of a blaze at Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road, Notting Hill, at 12.54am on Wednesday morning.
The 24-storey social housing block is on the Latimer West estate near Ladbroke Grove
About 200 firefighters, 40 fire engines and 14 fire rescue units were sent to the blaze, which engulfed every floor of the building from the second floor upwards
Fire crews were joined by police and paramedics to evacuate and treat residents. More than 20 ambulances were sent to the building
In a statement at 9.40am, London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said firefighters had managed to access all floors. She described the blaze as "unprecedented", adding: "In my 29 years of being a firefighter I have never ever seen anything of this scale"
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the fire has been declared a "major incident"
The building has been checked by structural engineers and was not in danger of collapsing, LFB said
How many victims are there?
At least six people have died but Scotland Yard warned that figure was "likely to rise during what will be a complex recovery operation over a number of days"
The London Fire Brigade said "a number of people" had been killed but could not give a conclusive figure due to the "size and complexity" of the building
More than 50 people have been taken to five hospitals, London Ambulance Service said
A large number of residents are still unaccounted for and casualty bureau has been set up on 0800 0961 233 for anyone concerned about friends and family
Residents wait at a police cordon after the Grenfell Tower burst into flames
Nigel Howard
How did the fire start?
The cause of the fire is not yet known
The Metropolitan Police said it was "likely to take some time before we are in a position to confirm the cause of the fire"
There was speculation from witnesses that the blaze may have been caused by faulty fridge on the lower floors of the building, but fire officials said it was too early to say
What is the history of the building?
The block was built in 1974 and was recently refurbished at a cost of £8.7 million. It is owned by the Rough Borough and Kensington and Chelsea and managed by Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation
Work completed in May 2016 saw the tower "modernised" with cladding and replacement windows, while additional homes were added using vacant space in the building, according to Rydon Construction
Every floor of the 24-storey tower was affected
Jeremy Selwyn
What were tenants' safety concerns?
A residents' group repeatedly raised concerns about fire safety at the building over the past four years. The Grenfell Action Group said it “predicted a catastrophe” but claim safety warnings “fell on deaf ears”
The group had raised issues with evacuation procedures at the building, with residents advised to stay in their flats in the event of fire. It said access was "severely restricted" for emergency services and other vehicles, and claimed there was one entry and exit to the tower during improvement works
In a chilling blog post just seven months ago, it predicted “only a catastrophic event” would make Grenfell Tower tenants’ concerns heard. It added: “Unfortunately, the Grenfell Action Group have reached the conclusion that only an incident that results in serious loss of life of… residents will allow the external scrutiny to occur”
Council leader Nick Paget-Brown said buildings were regularly inspected and a "thorough investigation" was needed
