windows weren't, and there were people in there. you could see the silhouettes. and then the next thing, explosions. the london fire brigade desperately struggled to reach the upper floors, but were repelled by the heat and falling debris. this is a completely unprecedented fire. in my 29 years in the london fire brigade, i have never seen a fire of this nature — and i have seen many high—rise fires. residents are sheltering in nearby community centres, some are missing family members. the investigation begins into how the fire started, and how it was allowed to take hold with such devastating effect. around 70 people are being treated in six london hospitals, 20 people are in a critical condition. the fire is still burning — firefighters say it will still be some hours before it's out. we'll be bringing you the latest, in this extended programme. stay with bbc news for all the developments from our correspondence. good evening from west london where a huge fire is still burning after it engulfed this residential tower block in west london just before one o'clock this morning. 12 people are known to have died, but we are being told that figure is expected to rise. firefighters managed to get a lot of people out and almost all the building has now been searched, but the mayor of london says many are still unaccounted for. more than 70 people are being treated in six different hospitals, 20 are critically ill. grenfell tower is part of a social housing complex of nearly 1,000 homes near the westfield shopping centre in west london. it's 2a storeys high and in it were 120 flats. up to 600 people may have been inside when the blaze broke out. most would have been asleep. the cause of the fire isn't yet known, but we do know the alarm was raised just before one o'clock this morning. fire crews were on the scene six minutes after being called. our first report on the tower block fire this evening is from our home editor mark easton. a warning, there are distressing images from the start of his report. oh my god, they're screaming. it is a tragedy that plays to our darkest fears. there was smoke everywhere. literally everywhere. there was people downstairs, bits of cladding falling off the block. screaming. people screaming. oh, oh, oh. the fire started between midnight and 1am. the screams from the flats and the acrid smell of burning, waking neighbours. it was just people jumping out, literally. and putting sheets down to try to get out of the building. windows exploding, big, massive pieces of debris falling to the floor. we came here, saw people jumping off. people had jumped off because they had no other option. how high up? the top floor. i saw people jump. someone was on fire and he jumped too. he didn't make it. some people picked up their children and threw them out for the police to pick them up because there was no other way out of the building. did you see that as well? i saw kids at the window shouting, help me, help me, i can't breathe. help me. and all these people have lost people in their lives and i know how that feels, yes. my heart goes out to them. the fire raced through the 2a story council block in this deprived part of north kensington. 0n the seventh floor, this family were led to safety when a fire officer made it up to their flat. there was smoke everywhere, people screaming. there was a fireman there going, get out, get out. iran back in in my boxer shorts, grabbed the little girl, put her under my dressing gown to cover her face from the smoke, got my girlfriend up, running down, got to the fourth floor and it was pitch black. this mother and her six—year—old son were also trapped on the seventh floor. for a moment, she thought her best option was to jump through the window with her child in her arms. for a split second, i had that temptation to jump over because the smoke was full. you actually thought about jumping from the building? and then your husband grabbed you and took you out? yes, otherwise, my second thought was to jump. many residents have complained to me that the fire alarm was too quiet to hear and that the blaze raced from the bottom to the top of the block in less than 30 minutes. all the time we have lived here, they have said if there is a fire, you have to stay there was no way that was stopping no fire. residents told me that they had complained to the authorities that the recently refurbished building was a disaster waiting to happen. we try to take a lot of things to our local mp. it looks like it has been ignored. we were scared that could happen. because if one fire happened, we knew that this would happen. deep poverty and extraordinary wealth by side—by—side in this part of north london. the block was home to some of kensington‘s poorest families. with dawn, grimm, is expected news, that lives have been lost. i'm looking for my brother. you don't know if he is ok? many people, numb with shock, frantically searched to find missing friends and relatives. this woman's sister and 12—year—old nephew were unaccounted for. my sister and her son. he is 12 years old. a 12—year—old boy? as well as the smoke and the smell of burning, numb shock and tension hangs over this area. in the 21st century, in a country with some of the strictest fire regulations in the strictest fire regulations in the world, a desperate tragedy like this just should not happen. the world, a desperate tragedy like thisjust should not happen. what floor are you on!? seven? well into the morning, the crowds watching the horror unfolding in front of them reported seeing people still trapped in the block. i saw somebody there. waving, in white. in a white shirt? yes. hayman was eventually brought out by the emergency services at 110011. out by the emergency services at noon. this off—duty nurse helped tend to some of the injured rescued from the building. i have seen some things, but today... i can't even describe it. there are mothers that have come out and lost their children. there are firefighters that have come out injured. we don't know if they are even going to come out safe. people have lost their homes, children have seen things, peoplejumping homes, children have seen things, people jumping up the window. we just need to rebuild as a community 110w. just need to rebuild as a community now. as the community realised the enormity of what had happened, people just enormity of what had happened, peoplejust did enormity of what had happened, people just did what they could. this woman went to her wardrobe, grabbed a bag of her own clothes to give to those that had none.l grabbed a bag of her own clothes to give to those that had none. a bag of clothes, jimmy, is nothing, when ican of clothes, jimmy, is nothing, when i can help somebody else. you know? this is a community where a lot of people don't have a lot. that generosity is quite something? yes, but they are replaceable. my clothes are replaceable. we love our community. we are heartbroken for oui’ community. we are heartbroken for our community. this is terrible. this is a disaster for this community. but we are pulling together, the people that have nothing, we are giving things to people that have nothing. sadly i can confirm that there are now 12 people that have died, that we know of. this will be a long and complex recovery operation. i do anticipate that the number of fatalities will, sadly, increase beyond those 12. this is a neighbourhood that feels ignored. there is anger on the streets. people are demanding a nswe i’s. streets. people are demanding answers. this is your building, isn't it? we have a number of high—rise buildings here and in other parts of london. we do have to meet stringent safety standards, and ina meet stringent safety standards, and in a refurbishment there will be a thorough inspection. doesn't seem to have worked? it clearly hasn't, we will have to get the bottom of what has gone wrong. the mayor of london promised there will be a thorough and independent investigation into what happened. my thoughts and prayers, as i am sure the thoughts and prayers the entire country, with the family and friends of those in the family and friends of those in the building and affected by this and horrific fire. i would also pay tribute to the amazing emergency services, from the fire service, we have more than 250 firefighters, many of whom have been here since the beginning. the streets of north kensington are littered with ashes. the charred ashes of homework of a school child. but the neighbourhood is also scarred by grief that will not pass for a long time. throughout the night, stories emerged of people who'd escaped the tower block and watched the fire as it swept through the building. many are now being sheltered in nearby community centres. and that's where family and friends of those who are missing are also heading — going from centre to centre to try to find their loved ones. our special correspondent lucy manning has been talking to the families caught up in the tragedy. the air was punctuated with the sound of crying. some have lost their home. others, much, much more. they gathered outside the community centre. the one thing nobody could offer was good news. for this family, it was, understandably, to much. my mum, my sister, her daughters and husband. yes. they are all still in the building. i don't know if they are out, we don't have any information. she gave us this picture of her three smiling neices. what floor were they on? the 27th. you haven't been able to contact them? i phoned my sister, alli could hear was screaming. i was trying to tell her, get out, get to the nearest fire exit. i am shouting, so she can hear. the police officers who had me shouting on the phone. i reallyjust wanted to go in there, basically, do something. ifelt to go in there, basically, do something. i felt helpless, to go in there, basically, do something. ifelt helpless, standing there. a blanket, at least. people jumping at the window. in the last hour, she heard news that someone might have spoken to her family. she is hoping it is true. after the panic of the night, the day brought only silence. i haven't seen my brother—in—law, his wife and three children. the children are aged 20, the boy is 20. a girl of 16, 17. a boy of eight years. he spoke to them as they were i said, why are you not coming? she said, they asking us to stay. she said her husband was talking to the emergency people. they said, they are coming to get us, but the heat and smoke is coming. isaid, us, but the heat and smoke is coming. i said, get a wet blanket, but the kids on the floor and cover them and wait. she said, we can't do it, because the smoke is killing us, the smoke is coming. the spoke is coming through the doors. she is keeping covering it, but it is heavy. that was the last time we have heard from her. for those on the lower floors that did make it out, and to the centre, some relief. i woke out, and to the centre, some relief. iwoke up out, and to the centre, some relief. i woke up at about 12.45, hearing, help me, a woman screaming, my baby, my help me, a woman screaming, my baby, b, help me, a woman screaming, my baby, my baby, and the sounds of chaos. the police were knocking on the doors, evacuate, evacuate. week thought we had to get the hell out of here, it is going up. ed was saved by his friend calling him and telling him to leave. the smoke was so telling him to leave. the smoke was so thick, you couldn't see anything. i got three quarters of the way and then i was using my hands to feel against the wall. i began thinking to myself, this is going to be me, you know? i'm going to die of smoke inhalation. there was actually a fireman lying on the ground. this fireman, he saved my life. hejust touched my foot and led me to wear the fire exit was. he was instrumental in raising concerns about the safety of the building yea rs about the safety of the building years ago. this accident never needed to happen. if people listen to what we were saying, what the blog were saying, what members of the community were saying. inside the community were saying. inside the centre, those waiting for news 01’ the centre, those waiting for news or that have lost their homes are covered downstairs in the hall. as you can imagine, it is a fairly distressing situation. at times, people are sobbing as they wait for news. news that, the stage, will possibly not be good news. it is also busy in there. they are getting help with housing, with food, and the medical help. they have no homes to go back to. now, it is notjust the burned—out building that looms over this community, but the fear that they will hear that many more of their neighbours have died. more than seventy people are being treated at six hospitals nearby. a major incident has been declared. a hundred medical staff, ambulance, paramedics, doctors have also been working at the scene. our medical correspondent fergus walsh is outside st mary's hospital in paddington with the latest. for the third time in as many months, london's medical staff have responded to a major emergency. the latest i have for you tonight is that 34 people remain in hospital. 18 of those are in a critical condition. most suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. the response to this fire has severely tested london's health—care system after what was described as a challenging and complex incident. paramedics, trauma teams, and london's air ambulance were all involved in a highly coordinated response. the key was to stabilise patients and get them to one of six hospitals where a specialist teams we re hospitals where a specialist teams were on stand—by. hospitals where a specialist teams were on stand-by. at saint mary 's were on stand-by. at saint mary 's we are caring for 16 patients. three of whom are in a critical condition. at charing cross hospital we have four patients, none of whom are critical. we are continuing to care for patients who are primarily suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. inhaling smoke can damage the lungs and airways and may also cause carbon monoxide poisoning. specialist burns teams we re poisoning. specialist burns teams were on stand—by but it is understood they did not treat any casualties. 12 hours after it broke out, a toxic cloud was still billowing from grenfell tower, leading to concerned residents handing out face masks donated by local firms. we're raw inhaling toxic substances that were used to the building that we are aware of. —— we are all inhaling. the building that we are aware of. -- we are all inhaling. wherever you look in the surrounding area are these black, fragments. this children's playground these black, fragments. this child ren‘s playground is these black, fragments. this children's playground is littered with pieces of debris which have floated down from the building and are what appear to be pieces of installation from the outside of the tower block. and you can taste the soot at the back of your throat. is for the residents of grenfell tower. but there are also concerns for residents living nearby. we find it difficult to breathe. we felt like we we re difficult to breathe. we felt like we were tasting the smoke. we don't know the damage in our lungs. we have lots of vulnerable residents, elderly people, people with severe disabilities, we are concerned for them, children, as well, children under the age of five. saint mary 's and charing cross hospitals save democrat accident and emergency departments remain very busy. they have asked the public to ask walk—in centres or their gp unless it is an emergency. “— centres or their gp unless it is an emergency. —— say their accident and emergency. —— say their accident and emergency departments remain very busy. within the last hour authorities have been giving an update on the number of casualties and the firefighting operation. ben brown was there. he joins us now from one of the police cordons. what is the latest? all of the emergency services were represented. they confirmed the death toll had doubled from six to 12. they say they fear it will rise further as there are still people unaccounted for. 68 people were taken to hospital. ten took themselves to hospital. 18 are in critical care. if we can show you the state of the building. there are still parts burning. the london fire brigade have said that they are still trying to distinguish those fla mes still trying to distinguish those flames —— extinguish those flames that remain. they have a lot of work to do. they say that it is challenging inside. they have been to the top of the building, it is 24 stories high, they have been to the top floor on their search for survivors. they said that there were no survivors. but they did manage to rescue no survivors. but they did manage to rescu e over no survivors. but they did manage to rescue over 60 people. thank you. within just a few hours of the fire breaking out people were arriving at the shelters that have been set up hearing charges, sports and community centres. —— been set up and community centres. —— been set up here in churches. they were carrying food, clothes, water — handing out masks to people in the street to protect them from the acrid smoke. elaine dunkley has spent the day looking at the response of the local community. people are still arriving with bags and boxes full of food and clothing. this area of london is diverse. it is wealthy but there are also people who do not have much. there are many faiths and beliefs working alongside each other. as well as offering each other possessions, they have been offering moral support. people have been embracing each other. residents in this community have told me they have been overwhelmed by the generosity. this church hall a refuge for those who have nothing, and for those who want to get. they have been overwhelmed with donations. today we have been out, we bought a lot of phone chargers, we bought a lot of phone chargers, we gave them to people to call their loved ones and make sure they are all safe and everybody knows where everybody is. we've also donated money. we've given some money to some family. he took £1000 out of his account. we have been giving families £100 just to see them over the next couple of days. it's amazing how everybody has come out in the community. it shows you how people will stick together in a time like this. and help how caring people are, people have been so caring. people have been sharing their homes, others have been offering them a the time. londoners are still together. regardless of your background. i'm from brazil. wherever you come from, everybody has come together, it is an amazing feeling. within 15 minutes this hall is full of clothes, stuff for baby, food, water, its amazing. is full of clothes, stuff for baby, food, water, it's amazing. on another corner, just moments away from my people have lost the macrolides, and others their possessions, there are more supplies. —— from where people have lost their lives. we have food, toiletries, anything you can imagine. i have food here. iam receiving texts about where people can take their donations. receiving texts about where people can take their donationslj receiving texts about where people can take their donations. i have a seven—year—old daughter. i took her to school this morning. on that road there was a clear view of the tower and what was going on. the fire was really going at that point early in the morning. she understands what is going on. after school she wanted to help give donations. they are being taken to the shelters where people are being looked after. this is an area where there is wealth and those who have little. people from all backgrounds are trying to do their best. this community is strong. it is not about who is rich and who is poon is not about who is rich and who is poor, as you can see. you see people in suits or tracksuits dealing with things, doing their best. people from different cast and colours. a lot of youth involved, as well, from what i can see. you can see lots of stu d e nts what i can see. you can see lots of students running around, picking stuff up. being from the sikh community, we tried to do our best, we keep making sure there is water and aid everywhere. such has been the response in north kensington, the response in north kensington, the centre say they have enough. but for those who have lost everything they need has onlyjust begun. —— their need has onlyjust begun. oscar has lost everything, he has lived in this tower block for 35 yea rs. lived in this tower block for 35 years. you had a lucky escape. you we re years. you had a lucky escape. you were pretty low down, weren't you? yes, i was very lucky. the luckiest one. i was one of the first to come out. how difficult was it for you to get out? how thick was the smoke?m was only about six minutes. the fire started from the flat below knee. my friends decided to try and put the fire out with an extinguisher, but it didn't work. —— the flat below me. the window in my flat was quite open. i was trying to throw water down, trying to put it out myself. we couldn't. i told my friends that we better leave, because we would get a better chance of leaving then. and the flames took hold so quickly, didn't they? exactly. iwent and the flames took hold so quickly, didn't they? exactly. i went to my computer room, grabbed my passport, i was lucky to get my telephone, as well. those were the only two magazines i could save from the inferno. and when you got outside, com plete inferno. and when you got outside, complete panic? —— those were the only two things i could save. the firemen work there. they were heroes. they were already inside. you were with your friend. your daughter got out. and your friend's ‘s young daughter is still missing. yes. they were up in the 17th floor. he was lucky he was in my house at that moment. but i don't know. her mother was with her. they say the child is somewhere but they cannot find her. we went out. some firemen, they had arrived in six minutes. very fast. fantastic. but there was not much else. many people have said that already, but i was one of the first to notice. you could not move them with the fire engine. so difficult to get in. they lost a lot of time because of that. the fire was so quick. like a squirrel going up was so quick. like a squirrel going upa was so quick. like a squirrel going up a tree. very fast. thank you. an emergency number has been set up for anyone concerned for loved ones in the north kensington fire the casualty bureau is 0800 0961233. the cause of the fire is as yet, unknown. kensington and chelsea council says it will be fully investigated and that the tower block was regularly inspected. some residents say they had been warning about the risk of fire at the tower block. our home affairs correspondent tom symonds reports on what the investigation into g re nfell tower — will be looking at. a death trap. that is what some residents believe grenfell tower was. their high—rise home in ashes. friends and relatives dead, injured fighting for their lives. they say, we told you something was going to happen again and again. the proof of that was not hard to find. this is a blog by the tower‘s residents it was posted last november. we have repeatedly reported concerns to the tenant management organisation of the royal borough of kensington and chelsea, including fire safety concerns that were not investigated during the regeneration works. the tower is owned by the council. its running was handed to the tenant management organisation in the 1990s, but complaints followed. they included concerns about this advice to residents, to stay put inside a flat if there was a fire outside. there were also reports of faulty safety equipment, power surges and inadequate fire alarms. and it wasn't just at glenfell. this is the adair tower. it has the same management. following what happened here, the management was issued with an enforcement order by the fire brigade. it set out a string of failings, failings to ensure preventative measures to properly assess the risk. failure to offer a well marked escape route. and have emergency plan. people were angry then, now they are furious. jose has lived here 30 years. some of his friends lived at the grenfell tower. it has just happened too often. three towers, three fires? within a year. what changes were made? they put signs up. they changed the doors, the fire doors, which they we re doors, the fire doors, which they were not and basically that is it. do you think that is enough? no. he has a smoke alarm in his flat but he's still worried there is not a central fire he's still worried there is not a centralfire alarm, a concern he's still worried there is not a central fire alarm, a concern also raised at the glen —— grenfell. it was last given a comprehensive fire assessment 18 months ago during its refurbishment when it was covered with new cladding, a common process, said the government has ordered wider checks tonight. we have discussed with the local authorities and the fire service a process whereby we seek to identify towers that might need a similar refurbishment, running checks so we can give reassurance to people. the investigation will begin once the exhausting task of putting out the inferno at the grenfell tower is complete. getting to the bottom of wide spread so fast could take months. the key question is how to keep those who live in them safe. as we've heard, grenfell tower was completely refurbished just last year and some fire safety experts have already pointed to cladding on the building as a likely reason the blaze spread so quickly. our science editor david shukman looks at the safety of tower blocks — and to what extent they can be made safe. the wreckage of grenfell house stands amid a cluster of tower blocks. like many cities around the world, london has seen the rise of the skyscraper. homes and offices, perched high above street level, with a host of safety rules designed to resist fire. but, eight years ago, a blaze at this tower block in south london killed six people. southwark council was fined for breaching fire regulations. and there are plenty of expert voices today saying that the lessons of what happened here at lakanal house have not been learned. la ka nal house demonstrated that people were at risk in their own homes. the fire in west london last night, this morning, as demonstrated that they are still at risk in their own homes. these fires shouldn't be happening in 21st—century london. we've got the ability to stop them from happening, and when fires do break out, to restrict them to small areas of flats or buildings. one key question in the spotlight today is about the design of tower blocks, and how they are meant to keep people safe in case a fire breaks out. normally, a fire hose can only reach about 15 metres. grenfell tower stands 67 metres high. in america, they rely on what is called "active safety". sprinklers fight fires in every room, but that can be expensive. the basic principle here, until recently, has been passive safety, designing the building to confine any blaze to a single room. clearly, that has failed. investigators will want to know why. another focus will be on the cladding fitted to the outside of the building, panels to improve insulation and the look of older buildings like grenfell tower. but dozens of fires have been linked to cladding around the world. two years ago, a skyscraper in dubai caught fire, and the cladding was blamed. new rules there have tightened up on the kind of material that can be used. investigators here will explore what role the cladding might have played. in the uk, it has to be what we call of limited combustibility. i am sure that is going to be questioned now, after this fire. what exactly that means, and what these types of cladding systems are adding to the fire load on the building. it was after the second world war that councils and said the housing crisis by moving away from old terraced homes coming to new high—rise tower blocks. their safety from fire depends on good design and careful maintenance. london's mayor says people living in tower blocks will now need to be reassured. literally every single floor was on fire, internally. you don't usually see that. you see one floor, two floors, and then a hopping from floor to floor, maybe, over a period of time. you would not normally see an entire facade on fire, then all of the interior on fire at the same time. so, that's what's very unusual. so, the fire overcame whatever safety features were in place. last year, the government promised a review into fire safety in tower blocks, but then delayed it. this disaster now makes that work a priority. david shukman, bbc news. well the blaze here overnight has meant that much of business in westminster has been put on hold — including an announcement expected to confirm that the democratic unionists have agreed a deal to support the conservatives in government. in a statement this morning theresa may said she is "deeply saddened" by the loss of life in the tower block fire. and this was the reaction from the labour leader, jeremy corbyn. i'm totally shocked by it. it's the worst nightmare anyone can think of, a fire in a tower block. and sympathy, support and solidarity to all those that are stuck in the tower, or that have managed to be rescued, or who have lost loved ones, or don't know what has happened to their friends and family. and a huge thank you to the fire service, the police and ambulance, and all the other emergency services that got there so quickly. let's speak to our political correspondent alex forsyth in westminster. it has, as i say, put a lot of westminster business on hold. tell us more about the reaction today. as you heard, politicians are againfinding today. as you heard, politicians are again finding themselves paying tribute to the emergency services in the wake of a tragic incident. you heard it from the labour leader, jeremy corbyn. in a statement, the prime minister theresa may said her thoughts were with those working tirelessly, in very difficult circumstances. she said she was deeply saddened by the loss of life. through the day, she has been briefed on developments. there was a cross government meeting this afternoon to coordinate the government's response and make sure the emergency services are getting the emergency services are getting the support they need. labour leader jeremy corbyn has already suggested there will be questions about whether enough preventative measures we re whether enough preventative measures were taken in the past. there is even talk of a public inquiry. tonight, the policing and fire minister nick hurd said there would have to be a process to understand what has happened. initially, it is about dealing with the emergency response. i think we will hear more about this questions in the coming days. for now, the focus from politicians is about getting to support those affected. what about the deal with the democratic unionists? we know that the dup met with theresa may in downing street yesterday, to talk about the possibility of support to get key votes through parliament. there was an expectation we would hear that a deal had been agreed sometime today. we had from dup sources this morning that they felt it would be inappropriate, in light of what had happened. senior government sources saying tonight that talks are continuing. they are positive and on track. but i think it is unlikely we will hear details of that over the next few days. once again, politics understandably overshadowed by other events. breaking political news, while we have been on air. the liberal democrat leader tim farron has just announced he liberal democrat leader tim farron hasjust announced he is liberal democrat leader tim farron has just announced he is stepping down as leader of the party. they won 12 seats in the general election, four more than in the previous election. but it was not the fightback the party hoped for. this is what he said a few moments ago. there are christians in politics that take the view that they should impose the tenants of their faith they should impose the tenants of theirfaith on they should impose the tenants of their faith on society. i have they should impose the tenants of theirfaith on society. i have not taken that approach, because i fundamentally disagree with it. it is not liberal, and, actually, it is counter—productive when it comes to advancing the gospel. even so, i seem to have been the subject of suspicion because of what i believe, and who my faith is in. in which case, we are kidding ourselves we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society. that is why i have chosen to step down as leader of the liberal democrats. vicki young is at the lib dem hq in westminster, where tim farron has just the lib dem hq in westminster, where tim farron hasjust been speaking. it has to be said, given the events here overnight, does seem rather strange timing? yes, that is right. he says he made a decision in recent days and weeks. but obviously it is a day when there is lots of other news around. nevertheless, he is the first to now to say he is standing down after the general election. he has been made for two years. he made it very clear that he took personal responsibility. as he said at the beginning of the general election campaign, questions about his faith, his christianity, asked again and again, whether he thought that gay sex was a sin. he said some of his a nswe rs sex was a sin. he said some of his answers could have been better. he also said he he felt guilty about the fact it distracted from the campaign. they did gain seats, but maybe not as big a breakthrough are some hoped. he spoke at length about the quandary he felt in, that he felt torn between being a committed christian and a political leader. two years christian and a political leader. two yea rs into christian and a political leader. two years into the job, he christian and a political leader. two years into thejob, he is going. there will now be a leadership contest, as we go into the summer. there are new mps, and old faces. people like vince cable, back in parliament. people likejo swinson and ed davey. the party will now go forward into the leadership contest. vicki young, with breaking news from westminster. now it is time for a look at the weather. with high pressure for england and wales, you can see this is where there has been most of the sunshine. low pressure close by, scotland and northern ireland. cloudy here, still some sunny spells. despite the cloud, most places have a dry day. overnight, outbreaks of rain pushing back into northern ireland. but especially west of scotland, heavy bursts later in the night. clear spells elsewhere, quite a muggy night, where temperatures reached the mid—20s. a lot of cloud in the west tomorrow to begin with. this weakening weather system pushes east during the day. just a few showers. introducing behind it slightly cooler but fresher feeling hair. this is the picture at 4pm. temperatures down just a few degrees, compared with today. still some sunshine. patchy cloud working through. mostly dry. a breezy day and fresher feeling during the afternoon. the odd shower popping up in northern england, more especially for northern ireland and into scotland. not everybody will catch a shower, but if you do it could be thundery. temperatures into the mid—teens. tomorrow evening, still some showers across the northern half of the uk. as we going to friday, much of the south and east will be dry. broken cloud and sunshine. another weather system brushing the north—west with cloud, outbreaks of rain, a stronger breeze. it is north—western part of the uk, as we going to the weekend, that will see these weather systems moving through. breezy, cloudy, cooler. elsewhere over the weekend, high pressure builds in and temperatures rise once again, turning warmer, with parts of south—east england by sunday near 30 celsius. that is the latest forecast, back to you. thank you very much. before we end the programme, let's go to one of the programme, let's go to one of the community centres that has been opened to help people who have lived here and lost everything, lost their homes. lucy manning is there. what is so striking is that there still seem to be so many people, missing so many people being searched for? u nfortu nately, people being searched for? unfortunately, that is right. you walk around the streets here today and it goes without saying that there is a real sense of grief. everybody is talking about who they know that was in the block and where they might be now. frankly, not everybody is accounted for and they expect that there will be more deaths. i have spent most of the afternoon and all morning in the community centre behind me, in the basement in the hall, tables are set out. families at each table. some of the families are telling me they felt very lucky. they have lost everything, their homes, all of their possessions, but they had at least made it out alive. on other tables, families more quiet, on phones, trying to speak to relatives that they had sent around the hospital is looking for other relatives. we kept popping back and saying, any news? there was a sad shake of the head. theyjust want information. unfortunately, that is the one thing that there isn't at the one thing that there isn't at the moment. along with the grief and sadness, there is also anger. speaking to some of the residents, they are some of the same people that raised concerns, as they think, about the safety in the tower block. the residents are angry that nothing was done and a fire happened, that this has happened to them. also, a real sense of community here. people are helping out. there has been an amazing response at the community centre. people here, ithink, it has been a very, very difficult day for them. people on the street want a nswe rs. them. people on the street want answers. it is the one thing that can't be given to them. i think it is true, very unfortunately, that some of the people that are missing, perhaps many of them, the death toll is going to rise and we will not have any good answers for them at all. lucy manning, thank you. what we know now is that at least 12 people have died. dozens have been injured. the death toll, we are being told, is expected to rise. we will have an —— continuing coverage throughout the afternoon. good evening from bbc london news. block which you can see smoke is still coming from the building on the 15th floor. you can see flames depending on when the wind turns this way, flames and letting the side of the building, which is why we've been told to wear these facemasks, because there is debris, cert and facemasks, because there is debris, certand dirt facemasks, because there is debris, cert and dirt on the air. their rockets flying around, this is directly from the building itself. these are on the streets. they have taken days —— it will take days to clear up. taken days —— it will take days to clearup. a taken days —— it will take days to clear up. a bird's eye view of the building, this level of devastation has been caused, the fire began at 1am this morning, and it has claimed lives. currently 12 lives is the official total, but the metropolitan police tell us that number is likely to go up. reporters have been on the ground and around the area all day from early this