As heroic firefighters continue to battle the dying embers of a blaze sparked yesterday at Grenfell Tower in London, emergency service personnel have taken to social media to recount the devastation.
One firefighter in particular has earned himself a special place in the collective heart of The Internet, after he tweeted this take on what was undoubtedly a harrowing operation, moments before he approached Grenfell Tower to do his job.
The Kentish Town fire fighter, known on Twitter as @cripsymick tweeted:
Sharing a photo of his helmet, emblazoned with his name and the code for Tottenham Fire Station, Mick wrote:
You know it’s not good when your told to write your name on you helmet before you go in! [sic]
Just when you thought Mick couldn’t be anymore heroic, the man goes and excels himself when The Sun contacted him on the social media platform and he responded by publicly calling the tabloid a ‘shitrag’.
It is believed fire crews were requested to write their names on helmets so they could be identified if anything went wrong as they tackled the blaze. UNILAD has contacted London Fire Brigade for comment.
While Mick’s quintessentially British resilience and unwavering humour in the face of such dangerous prospects and large-scale devastation is synonymous with admirable spirit and resolve, the fact remains that the blaze, which ripped through the residential block of flats, has inflicted unspeakable pain.
His tweet broaches the thin line between utter tragedy at the hands of an incident that has cost at least 12 people their lives, and our pride in the bravery of the fire fighters deployed to the scene.
Fire fighters were called to Grenfell Tower in Shepherd’s Bush at 12.54am early on Wednesday morning. In under six minutes, the first fire engines arrived on the scene and the brave men and women within haven’t stopped trying to save lives and quash the flames since.
Their efforts were captured in footage that you can watch below:
As speculation over government negligence towards the safety of residents in Grenfell Tower sweeps through social media, authorities have yet to confirm a cause and say a ‘full investigation’ is underway.
A group called the Grenfell Action Group repeatedly criticised the company that manages the tower block, Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), on its fire safety record in a series of blog posts.
The group made frequent complaints about rubbish blocking exits and in November last year one member wrote that it would take a ‘catastrophic event’ to expose the problem.
London Ambulance Service have confirmed more than 50 people have been taken to five hospitals across the capital, and 12 people are confirmed to have died, with that toll expected to rise.
If you want to help those who have lost their home and belongings, a number of JustGiving pages have been set up to raise money for those affected by the tragedy.
Anyone concerned about a missing family member of friend is advised by police to call the Casualty Bureau on 0800 0961 233.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.