THE terrible Grenfell Tower fire in West London still smoulders on as I write.
My heart goes out to the shattered survivors, many of whom have lost everything.
The death toll is mounting and the numbers of those still missing suggest an unthinkable, final count.
The fire service was there in six minutes and the survivors spoke of their sheer incredulity that these heroic firefighters were running UP the smoking stairway as they were running down.
We can only thank them and all the other emergency services, who swung so smoothly into action on Tuesday night, from the bottom of our hearts.
I noted the hospital consultant from St Mary’s, who said it was the third time in three months that they had activated their emergency plan.
The first two times were following the terrorist attacks on London and Westminster Bridges.
Staff came in voluntarily, worked far longer than their shifts and remained until they dropped.
The community, too, has pulled together, united in shock and horror over the carnage in their midst.
Donations of clothing, food, cash and accommodation have apparently been overwhelming.
Churches of all denominations have opened their doors to the newly homeless victims, who slept on their floors.
A group of Muslims, unable to drink themselves during the daytime in Ramadan, arrived to distribute water.
Inevitably, blame is already being assigned for this catastrophe and a major investigation must be launched.
Ironically, early assessments suggest that the £10 million upgrade of Grenfell Tower, completed last year, may have turned the building into a virtual roman candle.
Certainly it is of great concern that the Grenfell Residents’ Association warned frequently and vociferously that their building was a disaster ‘waiting to happen’.
Whatever the cause, it must be found, so that this can never happen again.