London Fire: High-Rise Apartment Blaze Kills at Least 6, Injures 74

London Fire: High-Rise Apartment Blaze Kills at Least 6, Injures 74

LONDON — At least six deaths were confirmed early Wednesday after a blaze ripped through a high-rise apartment block in the British capital as residents slept. At least 74 people were injured, according to authorities.

Several others recounted watching people jumping from Grenfell Tower.

Local officials believe that several hundred people were in the building, which dates back to the 1970s. The high-rise had a "stay put" policy in the event of a fire — with residents urged to shut their windows and doors and await rescue.

London Fire Brigade Commissioner Dany Cotton called it an "unprecedented incident," adding that a "number of fatalities" had been confirmed. Police later put the death toll at 6, but warned that figure was likely to grow.

"In my 29 years of being a firefighter, I have never, ever seen anything of this scale," Cotton said. "This is a major fire that’s affected all floors of the 24-story structure from the second floor upwards."

She highlighted that "very large numbers" were rescued by emergency crews early on. But almost nine hours after the blaze broke out, Cotton admitted "we have absolutely no idea" how many people remained unaccounted for.