LONDON (AP) - The Latest on the fire at a London public housing tower that killed at least 79 people (all times local):
4:00 p.m.
British officials say the government has acquired newly built apartments that can be used to house some of the residents displaced by the horrific fire last week at Grenfell Tower.
Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said Wednesday that the 68 apartments located in the upscale Kensington Row development are “all newly built social housing.”
The blaze killed at least 79 people and displaced many more. The government is scrambling to find housing in the Kensington and Chelsea borough where the fire occurred.
The government says “the expectation” is that the 68 apartments will be used as permanent residences for some Grenfell Tower residents.
Officials say every family from the tower will be re-housed in the local area, which includes some of the most expensive housing in London.
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9:50 a.m.
A charity single produced by Simon Cowell is being released to help victims of the devastating fire that killed at least 79 people in west London.
Some 50 artists are included on the recording of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The singers included Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, Liam Payne and Jessie J.
Grime star Stormzy opens the single, rapping: “I don’t know where to begin so I’ll start by saying I refuse to forget you/I refuse to be silenced/I refuse to neglect you/That’s for every last soul up in Grenfell/Even though I’ve never even met you.”
The single released Wednesday marked a week since the blaze, which ripped through the apartment building in the early hours of June 14, when many of the residents were home asleep.
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