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Article snippet: LONDON — Adib Abbas, an observant Muslim, was preparing an early morning Ramadan meal in a ninth-floor apartment at Grenfell Tower when he suddenly smelled gas. On the same floor, Hanan Wahabi woke up and realized that something was terribly wrong. The night air had the stench of smoke and ash. From those terrifying moments, residents found themselves in a nightmare: Their 24-story building, with 120 apartments, was gutted by flames early Wednesday, in what authorities called London’s worst building fire in years. The high-rise, in the North Kensington section of West London, was left a charred and smoking ruin. At least 12 people were killed and 78 others were treated at six hospitals. For a country that has endured three terrorist attacks this year, and that is in the midst of political uncertainty after national elections produced a hung Parliament, the predawn blaze was another painful tragedy, raising pointed questions about whether the building was unsafe. Residents had complained about fire safety for several years, and experts were already questioning whether the materials used on the exterior of the building might have helped spread the flames. Prime Minister Theresa May convened a meeting on Wednesday to coordinate the government’s response, as safety checks were ordered for other high-rise buildings. Beyond the dead and injured, firefighters rescued 65 people and announced that there were no more survivors. Many people escaped down the staircases, but ... Link to the full article to read more