Screaming.”
smoke is too bad.’ ”
David Benjamin was sleeping at his girlfriend’s apartment when they heard banging on the door. He looked through the keyhole and saw people running down the hallway.
“Bits of the ceiling were coming off and people were screaming,” Benjamin told British TV. “People on the upper floors were still sleeping, so they probably didn’t even have a clue about what was going on.”
George Clarke, host of a popular TV show about home renovations, told Radio 5 Live that he saw people waving flashlights and cellphone lights from the top floors of the building to grab the attention of rescue workers. Other witnesses spoke of people constructing makeshift ropes out of sheets to escape the flames.
The building, constructed in 1974, was recently upgraded at a cost of $12.8 million, with work finishing in May 2016, according to the building’s management company. Rydon, the British company that did the refurbishing, said in a statement that its work “met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards.”
Britain’s government ordered checks at other apartment towers that had or are going through similar refurbishments, because of concerns that building renovations may have contributed to the spread of the fire.
The Grenfell Action Group, the tenants’ organization, had expressed concerns since 2013 about the testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment and blocked emergency access to the site. “All our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable,” the group said after the fire broke out, according to the Associated Press.
The public rallied to support those left homeless and to offer help. The Tabernacle Christian Centre, near the scene of the fire, was a frenzy of activity as people brought bags of clothes, food and toys to give to those affected by the blaze.
“People just started coming here” to serve their community, said Derrick Wilson, senior pastor at the center that also is home to a food bank. He said churches in other parts of London were calling him to ask what they could do to help.
“I heard people were throwing babies out of the window. It sounded a bit like 9/11,” Wilson said. “People are coming from all over to help in this time of great tragedy.”
Volunteers divided donations into separate bags that included clothes, baby items and toys. People passing by stopped at the entrance to ask what they could do to help.
Tim Burke, helping coordinate assistance at the Latimer Community Church near the Grenfell Tower, said there was an appeal to raise more than $128,000 to help the victims.
“These people have woken up with nothing. They’ve seen their friends die,” he said. USA TODAY WASHINGTON The investigation into ties between President Trump’s campaign and the Russian government has now turned to investigating Trump himself for obstruction of justice, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The expansion of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation would represent the clearest legal threat to date for Trump, who has long maintained that he is not personally under investigation — and who reportedly pressured former FBI director James Comey to say so publicly.
The Post, citing unnamed sources, said the investigation into the president’s own conduct began shortly after Trump fired Comey on May 9. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller — himself a former FBI director — as special counsel the following week.
Mueller has scheduled interviews with key national security officials about the matter. They include Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, Mike Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, and his former deputy director, Richard Ledget, the Post reported.
USA TODAY has not independently verified the report.
The White House referred questions to Trump’s personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz.
“The FBI’s leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal,” said Mark Corallo, spokesman for Trump’s outside legal team. He declined further comment.