Â鶹Éç

At least 12 people are dead after a huge fire raged through the night at Grenfell Tower block in London, and police expect that number to rise.

The former chair of Grenfell Tower Residents Association says he "wasn't surprised" by the fire," claiming he had warned the management and the council that "refurbishment work was incompetent."

David Collins told Â鶹Éç Radio 5 live that numerous concerns were raised, including fears that firefighters would have reduced access and that water boxes had been fitted above fuse boxes.

Mr Collins said 90 percent of residents had signed a letter in favour of further investigations, and claimed he had told management: "Are you going to wait until a tragedy happens to do something?’"

Asked 5 live's Emma Barnett if residents had had genuine concerns about the risk of fire, Mr Collins said, "Yes."

Robert Black, CEO of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, which manages the building, said "reports of injury and losses of life [were] absolutely heartbreaking."

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community... Currently we're focussing on helping those residents and London Fire Brigade is investigating the safety of the tower's structure but we will issue a further statement in due course."

Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown, said: "My thoughts are with people who've lost family members, who've been injured and lost there homes and it is the most enormous tragedy for them. Clearly there is going to have to be an explanation into what caused this fire and why it spread so quickly."

Show less