Timeline shows how Grenfell Tower became a raging inferno which burned at 1,000C

THE catastrophic blaze at Grenfell Tower broke out shortly after midnight when many of the 500 or so residents would have been in bed.

The fire — thought to have started on the fourth floor by a dodgy fridge — took hold and ripped up the outside of the building.

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This timeline shows how the disaster unfolded, with temperatures reaching over 1,000C in parts.

Timeline of high-rise horror

12:30am

Residents smell burning plastic, thought to be the cladding which would carry flames up the face of the building.

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12:54am

First call to firefighters, who then rush 40 fire engines to the scene to tackle the rapidly spreading inferno.

 1am

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The first fire engines arrive on the scene to tackle the growing blaze.

2.41am

Eye witness accounts start emerging as Fabio Bebber says on Twitter: “We can see how quick the fire spreads via the external panels. It’s unbearable hearing someone screaming for their lives.”

2.50am

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News breaks that 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters are battling the mega blaze as it engulfs the tower block.

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Live from the scene

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3.10am

Residents seen flashing torches to get help. Amazing Spaces presenter George Clarke said: “It’s so heartbreaking, I’ve seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can’t get out.”

 7.45am

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Fire Brigade announce fatalities as Commissioner Dany Cotton describes the “unprecedented incident” as on a scale unlike anything in her 29-year career.

8.30am

A fridge catching alight is blamed for causing the fire which then engulfed the block.

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11.13am

Police reveal six people are confirmed to have been killed in the horrific flames and thick black smoke.

5pm

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Death toll rises to 12 as Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Met Police, reveals: “I do anticipate the number of fatalities will sadly increase beyond those 12 people.”

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What we know so far:

• The Metropolitan Police have confirmed 12 people are dead but the death toll is expected to rise after a huge fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in West London just before 1am on Wednesday night
• The 24-storey high tower block has 120 apartments
• Around 74 people have been taken to six hospitals in the capital, with 18 in a critical condition, while dozens of others are missing and feared dead
• The Prime Minister launched an urgent investigation into the disaster
• Authorities say the cause of the fire is still not known — with some suggesting it was sparked by a fridge fire
• Experts warned the blaze was spread by cladding panels which are fitted to countless buildings across Britain
• Residents were seen jumping from upper floors in scenes reminiscent of September 11
• Horrified witnesses told of babies being thrown from windows by desperate mothers
• It was revealed the block had only recently undergone a £10million refurb but still had no sprinkler system installed
• Designers insisted the refurbishment work complied with building regulations
• Residents raised safety concerns four years ago, but were ignored
• A former housing minister was blasted for postponing a government review into tower block safety
• Celebrities and ordinary Londoners have united to provide food, clothes, money and shelter for survivors