LONDON -- A huge blaze has engulfed a 24-story apartment block in West London, according to the London Fire Brigade.
The fire commissioner says there are a number of fatalities but could not say how many. More than 50 people have been taken to area hospitals.
About 200 firefighters have been deployed to battle the fire as rescue workers try to evacuate the building in Lancaster West Estate in North Kensington.
The fire broke out before daybreak local time. Commissoner Dany Cotton calls the fire an "unprecedented incident'' and says she has never seen anything on this scale in her 29 year career.
George Clarke, the presenter of "Amazing Spaces," told Radio 5 Live he was covered in ash even though he was 100 meters (yards) from the scene.
He said he saw people waving flashlights from the top level of the building and saw rescuers "doing an incredible job" trying to get people out.
"The whole building is on fire (and) spreading fast," witness Goran Karimi told CNN.
He said he saw people jumping from the building.
Police said a number of people being treated for a range of injuries.
Grenfell Tower
The 24-story Grenfell Tower was built in the 1970s and recently subject to a $10.9 million redevelopment, according to property firm Rydon.
Close to Notting Hill, the tower block is around a five minute walk from the Latimer Road Underground station and near the Westfield shopping center in the west London suburbs.
According to property website RightMove, the average rent in the building is around $2,500 a month.
Images posted on show media, show the tower block engulfed in flames.