Grenfell Tower fire: Reverend says blaze reminded him of 9/11

A reverend who has been working with the community following the horrific blaze at the Grenfell Tower inferno has admitted the scene reminded him of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Reverend Mark O'Donoghue is the area Dean of Kensington and was overseeing the relief efforts at St Clement's Church.

He woke at 6am to see the news about the tragic events. He said: "I came straight down here, walked down the street and if I'm honest it reminded me of that image of 9/11 where you had the blue sky and the block on fire and that's exactly what I saw."

The reverend praised the community effort, which has been vital in helping the hundreds of people who were displaced in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

He said: "This is one of the most socially diverse boroughs and deaneries in the whole of the country. It's got extraordinary wealth with extreme social deprivation particularly in this parish of St. Clements.

"What we're seeing at the moment is all kinds of people inside sheltering and all kinds of people inside helping and that's what London does best, at a moment of crisis it comes together and it stands together."

Donations poured in from local supermarkets and businesses.

Nearly 200 firefighters and 40 fire engines tackled the huge blaze that engulfed London's Grenfell Tower on the Lancaster West Estate in Latimer Road on the night of 14 June.

The Metropolitan Police have confirmed 12 deaths related to the fire. They expect the number to rise.

Studio E architects, the original builders of Grenfell Tower, constructed it in the early 1970s as a residential regeneration project.

Information available on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's website states that the 24-storey tower has 120 flats. It underwent a £10m refurbishment completed in 2016.