Portadown call centre dealt with '˜distressing' 999 calls during London tower block fire

A BT call centre in Portadown took some of the 999 calls during the horrific fire at a London tower block earlier this week.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Jun 2017, 13:28 BST

Updated 19th Jun 2017, 12:41 BST

Smoke billows from a fire that has engulfed the 27-storey Grenfell Tower in west London

Some of the hundreds of calls relating to the Grenfell Tower fire were dealt with at the Portadown centre, BT has confirmed.

It is understood some of those who took the calls were very distressed.

Seventeen people have died and 12 people are in critical care after a huge fire engulfed a west London tower block in the early hours of Wednesday.

One person said a family member who worked at the centre was very upset after dealing with ‘very distressing calls’.

A BT spokesperson said: “BT’s 999 team across the UK responded to emergency calls throughout this tragic incident. As per usual processes, calls were onward connected to the relevant emergency service.

Our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with everyone affected.”