Developing situation. We are watching and waiting to get any more developments. Celeste thomas joins us developments. Celeste thomas joins us live. She is across the road from the fire. Described to us where you are and what you can see. The fire. Described to us where you are and what you can seelj the fire. Described to us where you are and what you can see. I am in my house at the moment. I live across the road from Grenfell Tower and i have been told by the police to stay away from the windows and keep the door shut. I cant see anything at the moment. I was able to see the building from my kitchen window. When you first of all were made aware of this Emergency Situation Taking place, talk us through what you heard, and what initially use all . I initially heard the siren at about 1am this morning and saw the blue lights flashing. Looked out the window and saw people beginning to gather outside and then i noticed that there was some smoke coming from Grenfell Tower and went outside to have a look and saw the whole building on fire. About iam this morning. And you are seeing people gathering. Do you know where the eva cu ees gathering. Do you know where the evacuees have been moved, do you know about their whereabouts . No, between 1am and 2am we were pushed back and people were being taken, people were going into peoples houses, there were quite a lot of people who were looking for family members. Possibly with them. And there were people milling around. We saw people in pyjamas and barefoot, children and things, and there didnt seem to be anybody at that point taking them anywhere in particular, so i dont know where they ended up going. Ijust know that we were asked to move back. And obviously, as reflected by what youre saying, the first call to The Fire Brigade at 12 45am in the morning, so one would expect residents would fast asleep. And tell us a little about the community, what you know of the tower block. Do you know anyone living there . I dont at the moment but i have known people who have lived in the past. I know that there had been concerns over safety in the past. There are quite a lot of families in that building now, young families. It has quite a lot of. Quite a mixed community. And not. There is not a lot of people who stay for a long time. It is very full, it is a very full building with lots of families. There would bea with lots of families. There would be a lot of people. This was recently refurbished. Do you know whether it was at Maximum Capacity . Had everybody moved in after the refurbishment . I dont know about that. I know that it has been recently refurbished. One of my daughters goes to school opposite, there is a school directly opposite there is a school directly opposite the building as well, so a lot of children are going to that school too who live on the estate, who live in Grenfell Tower, and both of my children went to the Primary School nearby. I just know children went to the Primary School nearby. Ijust know that children went to the Primary School nearby. I just know that there are a lot of families. Are they still at the Primary School . Will it be operational today . They are not still at Primary School. It is further away. My younger child is at the Secondary School that is directly opposite and there is nothing between the Secondary School and the tower and the school has told people to stay home today. You have already heard from the school . It is 5 30am local time, london time, and you have already heard from the school not to come in . They had already asked people on twitter to check the website, students and pa rents, to check the website, students and parents, and they are asking people to stay home and they have made provision for the exams today but the school is closed. My goodness, so the school is closed. My goodness, so your children are taking exams as well . Sorry . So, everybody is understandably. The area surrounding is gripped by what is happening as this place is still taking place. Celeste, so you have been told as a resident living just opposite, you have been told to stay away from the windows . There is a lot of smoke in the air. You can really smell it. Yes, they are just running back and forth and asking me to stay in doors, stay away from the windows and. And sorry to interrupt, celeste, can you hear Emergency Services . Yes, yes, helicopters, Emergency Services, yes. Celeste, thank you so much. Thank you so much for sharing with us thank you so much for sharing with us what you are experiencing. Celeste thomas, who lives across the road from the fire, telling us of the local schools in the area, certainly the Secondary School of her children has already been in touch on social media to say dont come in at the moment. Obviously this is still a developing situation. That fire is still ongoing. Still not fully under control. Grenfell tower on the lancaster control. Grenfell tower on the la ncaster west control. Grenfell tower on the Lancaster West estate in north kensington. A hugely on the densely residential area. As we were hearing from celeste, who lives across the road, a Transient Community. Many young families, people with Young Children living in that building. Well, this eyewitness spoke about what she saw as the fire first took hold. In the morning, it was 12 30 a. M. , i was sleeping, and then i woke up. I heard the ambulance coming. And then ijust woke heard the ambulance coming. And then i just woke up heard the ambulance coming. And then ijust woke up and i saw out the window of the fire, it was half of the building burning. And i wake up my children and i said, there is a fire opposite my house, because it is just fire opposite my house, because it isjust here. And fire opposite my house, because it is just here. And when fire opposite my house, because it isjust here. And when i came down, everybody was here. All of the neighbours down here. I heard some people said help from the 20th floor, the 19th, they are flashing lights, and now they stop. I dont know what happened to them. I dont know what happened to them. I dont know if they are safe or not. But it was really horrible fire and i never see in my life. Thank you. And did it get worse quickly . Yes. It was half of the building and then it got up half of the building and then it got up and up and up and up until the building all burnt. So, i have got my friend there. Already, she is out. But her brother and wife and children are still there. We dont know if they are safe or not. And was there many Emergency Services quickly . Yes, there was all of them hear about, they just. Towards quickly . Yes, there was all of them hear about, theyjust. Towards the first and second floor they cannot reach but people were screaming and then they. They want to help. But. No chance to help them. So, we we re but. No chance to help them. So, we were hearing from one eyewitness. No chance to help them, they were her words, obviously distressed as she witnessed the blaze, the blaze which are still not fully under control. We are watching some of the top floors and the fire is still raging. 2a, we believe, between 2a to 27 floors of the Grenfell Tower, and some desperate stories. We heard from sandra, whose knees, jessica, 12 years old, curly black hair, unaccounted for. She was able to call her motherfrom unaccounted for. She was able to call her mother from the stairwell as she tried to descend niece. She called her mother once at around 1 30am in the morning and then she was able to call her mother again at 1 39am, then the call cut out. So, people desperately searching for friends and relatives who are still unaccounted for. As we were hearing, this is a tower block with a Transient Community, which is always, as we heard from one of the People Living across the road, full. It had recently been refurbished but the types of families, families with Young Children, young families, a Transient Community in this hugely, densely popular area of west london, g re nfell tower, densely popular area of west london, Grenfell Tower, that has been blazing since 12 45am in the morning. We can speak to sofia, who has been watching the fire for the last few hours, over four hours now. Tell us what he can see. Last few hours, over four hours now. Tell us what he can seelj last few hours, over four hours now. Tell us what he can see. I can see 110w tell us what he can see. I can see now a building which has nearly com pletely now a building which has nearly completely burnt through. I was th right at the beginning when it was light at the site. There. I heard children calling out for help, i heard men calling out for help, i saw people clinging outside the building trying to climb down the building. I mean, it hasjust been horrific. That is absolutely horrific. That is absolutely horrific. Are you a local resident . Yes, a local resident, i live immediately opposite the building in a block of flats. So, the moment you heard the Emergency Services, the helicopters i know that as i was coming into work passing the area, a lot of Emergency Services, a lot of helicopters in the area. So you ran out to see what was taking place . Exactly, i know people who live in the building and i wasjust horrified. I hearing small explosions. So i thought. I was looking down and eventually when i looked up i was shocked to see that building ablaze on one side. And i was praying that it wouldnt spread but by the time i got down, 15 minutes later, loathes people were starting to gather because i had called out to neighbours, Grenfell Tower is on fire, if you have any family members, you know, make your way there. People were fast asleep andi way there. People were fast asleep and i wanted people to help and to be aware and not be completely isolated. Once i got there, just the sound, the sound of the popping, the explosions, the people, the cladding coming from the building, ash falling down but alsojust coming from the building, ash falling down but also just little children, the thing i wont forget the harrowing sound of little girls crying out for help. I have since heard that basically a lot of children have been thrown from windows in the immediate vicinity, which we cant see from the roadside. Some people have been very close and they had seen a lot of dead bodies on the floor and a lot of them are children. 0k, we cant confirm that. We havent seen that. I dont have images. That is what i have heard. I have met someone who is the neighbour of a person whose refrigerator exploded had apparently thatis refrigerator exploded had apparently that is what started the fire. But againi that is what started the fire. But again i cannot confirm that. He knows because he is a neighbour. He knocked on his door and he said my refrigerator exploded, get out of this building. That is something we need to wait for the authorities. Safiyah, in terms of your friends in a tower block, are they all accounted for . Some of them are neighbours, family members, and they are not all accounted for. We have witnessed people at windows who are still trying to be rescued by crane. We also saw a little girl who was five years old being rescued. There is still activity going on and there are still people apparently a live inside at the lower floors, the lower levels of the building. I have seen one lower levels of the building. I have seen one of those with my own eyes. Safiyah, obviously this is absolutely devastating, this situation taking place, it has taken place through the night. In terms of the activity now on the ground, what are you seeing . I think they have Operations Support units who have turned up, london fire brigade, in addition to the usual Emergency Services, so police, youve got ambulances, The Fire Brigade, loads of helicopters above, and also i just saw the leader of the chelsea council, nick patrick browne, who has just attended and i believe council, nick patrick browne, who hasjust attended and i believe he is talking with a new scale now. And i think everyone is just horrified. With news now. Especially in the early hours, everybody, when it was com plete early hours, everybody, when it was complete darkness, and it was ablaze, everyones eyes were transfixed on the building and praying that people would survive. Safiyah, what do you know about the building itself, about the residents what kind of Community Live there . It isa what kind of Community Live there . It is a very diverse community. Just mainly families, loads of Young Children. You know, nobody would have expected this lovely people, right next to a new school which was just built, kensington or dredge academy. You have the impression that there is a big Family Community here, the Leisure Centre is just nearby aldredge academy. It is a stones throw away from qwest field white city. There is Shepherds Bush as well. And latimer road on the other side close to the westway. So, yes, there are churches, it is just a lovely community, but it is very densely populated and people i have spoken to is that it is overcrowded in some part and that there were electrical fault in the building but none had spread like this before. They had been relatively contained. And when it comes to the sense of community, anybody who has been to not eat into an carnival, portobello road, notting hill carnival, portobello road, it is very dense, as you say, lots of very small roads. These estates, towering blocks, mixed with edwardian houses. A very diverse community, i would say. Absolutely, very diverse and everybody together took an interest, everybody together took an interest, everybody was wishing it was good. It was good to see everybody invested in the
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