Massive Fire Engulfs London High-rise Complex

A number of people have died in a massive blaze at a 24-story apartment complex in west London early Wednesday, London’s fire chief said. Witnesses said some residents were trapped in their homes, British media reported. London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton told reporters she could not confirm the number of deaths due to the complexity and size of the building. “This is an unprecedented incident. In my 29 years of being a firefighter I have never ever seen anything of this scale,” she said. London Fire Brigade said 200 firefighters responded to multiple calls to the fire in the Grenfell Tower complex soon before 1 a.m. local time, which engulfed most of the building. The cause wasn’t immediately known. Eyewitnesses reported seeing people jumping from their apartments, the BBC reported. It said 500 people lived in the block, in the North Kensington area, near Notting Hill. The BBC reported there are fears that the building might collapse. There are 120 apartments in the building, according to the Guardian.