UK - Huge fire rips through Grenfell Tower, Latimer Road, White City, London, June 2017

[MelmothTheLost]

Terrible it must have been horrific for everyone. I hope the survivors are getting access to counselling all of them are likely to have PTSD for some time.

That's the thing - not everyone who experiences something terrible does develop PTSD.

There's a growing body of thinking not to go wading in immediately with mass counselling as there is evidence that it can be counter-productive. It's apparently more effective to wait for 4-6 weeks after an event and to offer counselling to those who are still having trouble processing their experiences. It seems most people are pretty resilient and find a way to deal with the trauma in a way that works for them.

 

[possumheart]

Looking at the damage from the fire, I would not be surprised if Grenfell Tower collapsed eventually. Either way, the building should be torn down.

I would not be surprised if the death toll will be much higher. The fire looked really bad. It would be a miracle if everyone got out alive.

Due to building regulations it is very unlikely to collapse. Structures became stronger by 1974 when it was built, due to a partial tower collapse a few years earlier as cited in this article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...ould-have-collapsed-built-four-years-earlier/

A sad bit of trivia... I just realised that Grenfell tower was built in exactly the same year that the movie 'The Towering Inferno' was released. I had seen references in headlines but didn't know the years matched up like that.

 

[Legally Bland]

[video=youtube;ftY1NlPk5YY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftY1NlPk5YY[/video]

Maitlis :bowdown:

I'm sure she was shaking with rage there for a bit. (Approx 2m 5s).

Utter deflection from May, yes the cause is important, but nowhere near the importance of how the fire spread.

The interview makes me a bit uneasy as to how this is going to be handled.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Terrible it must have been horrific for everyone. I hope the survivors are getting access to counselling all of them are likely to have PTSD for some time.

Apparently some of the 999 call handlers also need counselling, having heard people burning to death and desperately screaming for help. It is just horrific.

 

[Supernovae]

The BBC is reporting that there's a police press conference imminent.

 

[Ellmau]

Tower blocks in other parts of London which had cladding installed by the same company are being checked: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...ding-gas-fridge-cause-residents-a7792556.html

Another potential issue at Grenfell:

In March, local councillor Judith Blakeman, who sits on the KCTMO board, raised residents’ fears about the installation by the National Grid of gas pipes in the main stairwells. The landlord assured her they would be boxed in with “fire-rated” protection, but this was not done, Blakeman said. She also said she requested an independent safety adjudication of the building, but this was declined.
“I was treated like I was a nuisance,” she said. “I raised 19 complaints on behalf of individual residents. Every single time we were told that the board had satisfied itself that the fire safety was fine.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ns-raised-by-grenfell-tower-residents-in-2012

 

[wfgodot]

Mark Townsend @TownsendMark

Hundreds outside Downing St to protest against Theresa May. Kids and pensioners - practically everyone - using the word 'coward'.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...heresa-may-under-pressure-as-anger-grows-live

 

[Ellmau]

I'm not sure I see the point of that.

 

[Ellmau]

Police press conference on now. They're currently retrieving bodies.

 

[Ellmau]

Still not sure how many vctims. 58 formally missing and presumed dead.

 

[Ellmau]

Number may go up, they hope not.

 

[Ellmau]

Appeal for anyone who escaped to report to police so they can be removed from their list of potential victims.

 

[Ellmau]

Recovered bodies will be taken to mortuary, identifie as soon as possible, and families informed before public. Will take weeks, possibly longer.

 

[Ellmau]

Tomorrow some images and video of the scene will be released, but they want to contact surviving families individually first. Appeal for any photos of the fire to help in investigation.

 

[Ellmau]

Police investigation "will be exhaustive". Anything with an impact on public safety will be passed on asap.

 

[Ellmau]

Considerable damage within the building which is why the search will take so long.

 

[Ellmau]

Police investigation will feed into the public enquiry as well as identifying potential criminal charges.

 

[Ellmau]

The 58 missing includes the 30 they definitely know are dead.

 

[Ellmau]

16 bodies recovered so far.

 

[Ellmau]

Won't give details of investigation to avoid prejudicing criminal charges.