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London Residential Tower Engulfed In Flames As Trapped Residents Scream For Help

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Jonah Bennett
June 13, 2017 11:58 PM ET

Residents trapped inside a London tower screamed for help early Wednesday morning as the entire building went up in flames.

Eyewitnesses are reporting that the entire 120-apartment Grenfell tower building is crumbling, prompting 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines to scramble to the area and salvage what they can while treating injuries at the scene, the BBC reports.

The fire started early Wednesday and has continued well into morning daylight hours. While firefighters are doing their best to contain the blaze, debris falling from the building is making the job extremely dangerous for the fire crews below.

“We’ve seen debris falling from the building, we’ve heard explosions, we’ve heard the sound of glass breaking,” said a BBC correspondent at the tower. “The police keep pushing back their cordons, pushing back members of the public for fear the building might collapse.”

Tim Downie, who lives nearby the building, told Sky News: “‘The acrid smell is just horrendous. The building has pretty much burnt out, there are just a few bits that are still not burning.”

“Every single window is gutted,” he added. “There is debris falling off it. The heat was extraordinary. The fire has wrapped itself around the block. People on the street said it started on the fourth floor and spread all the way up and around.”

The London Ambulance Services arrived with more than 20 ambulances at the scene and have taken 30 patients to surrounding hospitals. Some of the injuries are due to smoke inhalation.

Meanwhile, residents are turning bed sheets into ropes in a desperate effort to escape from the rapidly deteriorating building.

The cause of the blaze is unknown.

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