Skip to content

Grenfell memories: 'I woke up to my mum screaming'

Nathan was six when a fire ripped through Grenfell Tower, claiming 72 lives, including that of his best friend.

He described it as "a normal night and I was just asleep, and then I got woken up to my mum screaming".

Sorena was seven at the time. Now a teenager, he said he believes there have been "many words but not many actions".

Eight years after the tragedy, young people have been reflecting on their memories of the night of 14 June, 2017.

Story by Robert Taylor

Follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].

11 hours ago

Grenfell Tower fire

Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council

North Kensington

Grenfell Tower Inquiry

A virtual map showing various stations and colourful Tube lines

Watch: Londoner creates live 3D Tube map

Ben James recreated nine of the 11 Tube lines in his interactive map, with coding assisted by AI.

Jordan Izzett runs alongside a red double decker bus

London Marathon: TikTok Bus racer shares last-minute tips

Jordan Izzett, 24, has been racing London buses to train for the London Marathon.

A person wears a large, textured outfit resembling a brain, crafted from pink foam material, set against a light-coloured room.

Brain-costumed man determined to beat world record

Alex Paget will run the race as a giant pink brain to raise money and awareness of post concussion syndrome.

A golden retriever with a collar stands outdoors, surrounded by large black plant pots and sunlight filtering through green foliage.

Monty's dog helps design Chelsea Flower Show garden

Golden retriever Ned helps to shape the paths in the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden by running through plants.

Gabriel Moses stands in front of his artwork in a dimly light art studio.

Amazing to work with Pharrell, says London artist

Gabriel Moses' largest exhibition yet, Selah, is being hosted in London, featuring more than 70 photographs.

A blocky Big Ben tower captured in the game Minecraft

Minecraft: 'We've spent five years rebuilding London'

Minecraft players have spent about 15,000 hours in total on the project to build London and the UK

Otter captured on CCTV camera

Rare otter sighting recorded in Canary Wharf

A wildlife expert says it is "absolutely fantastic" to see an otter in such a "highly urbanised" area.

A man in a Batman costume with his mask pushed up on his head holds an evidence bag while standing on Westminster Bridge, with people and historic buildings visible in the background.

Batman and Robin costumed police make arrests

Two Met officers launched the "superhero mission" to tackle illegal Westminster Bridge gambling.

A gray donkey with a black halter grazes on green grass in a school field.

Donkeys help Camden school with biodiversity

Donkeys Dora and Nora went from Kentish Town City Farm to a school in Camden.

A man wearing a tracksuit dives onto a convenience store checkout counter.

Watch: 'Prolific shoplifters' caught in the act by Met

CCTV captures the moment two shoplifters are caught by police, who were watching from the next room.

A small red knitted hat for a premature baby, laid out on a purple knitted blanket and surrounded by smaller knitted items including a heart

Knitters' special delivery for premature babies

An east London knitting group has delivered handmade hats and blankets to a hospital neonatal unit.

(Left) Man speaking from a computer on a ‘video phone’ (Right) Presenter types on a 90s computer.

BBC predicts home working and video phones in '90s

In the '90s, people imagined working from home would include video phones and virtual supervisors.

Partially-deaf singer James Vickery, a man with a short beard, wearing headphones and wearing a red and blue striped football shirt.

Crystal Palace fan dreaming of Selhurst Park gig

Partially-deaf singer James Vickery has been a fan of the south London club since he was a child.

A composite image. On the left there is an image from a video which shows a fire and smoke billowing from an electrical substation. On the right is a map which shows the substation is nearby Heathrow airport

A timeline of the Heathrow Airport disruption

BBC Verify's Nick Beake explains how Europe's busiest airport was taken out of action.

Charlotte Gallagher in Heathrow Airport

Watch: The scene at Heathrow as it loses all power and closes down

The BBC's Charlotte Gallagher reports from Heathrow Airport which is going to be closed all day.

Mary Marson, a 95 year old black woman wearing a tiara, white t-shirt and smiling at the camera during a dance class

Great-grandmother toasts 95th birthday with Zumba

Mary Marson went to her first session in 2017 and now attends three times a week.

Image from the video

EastEnders star was 'asked for a selfie' at funeral

Tameka Empson reveals strange places she's been approached by fans - and being starstruck herself.

Deaf actress Sophie Stone, a woman in costume with shoulder-length hair using sign language while performing in Macbeth

Deaf actress brings sign language to Shakespeare

Sophie Stone, known for her roles in Doctor Who and Casualty, is making Shakespeare more inclusive.

Jon Mckenna, lies on the canvas of a boxing ring. He is surrounded by colleagues and members of the ambulance service.

CCTV shows coach's lifesaving CPR in boxing ring

The moment a boxing club coach’s life was saved during a children’s sparring session.

King Charles performs CPR on a mannequin as part of a life-saving demonstration

Watch: King Charles refreshes his CPR skills

The King performed CPR on a mannequin when he visited the Royal College of Nursing.