A single mother is “overwhelmed” by generous donations from members of the community following a huge fire at a tower block.

Parents of pupils at St Teresa’s School, in Hatch End, put out an appeal on Facebook yesterday after flames engulfed Grenfell Tower, near Latimer Road Station, yesterday morning at 1am.

So far, 12 people have died although the figure is expected to rise as around 600 people were believed to be inside the 120 flats when the blaze started.

People across the borough have since donated “an incredible amount” of items including toothbrushes, nappies, deodorants, towels and sleeping bags at a house in Brookshill, which have now been sorted and dropped off to victims.

Trish Madden, a parent at St Teresa’s School, said people from as far as Gloucestershire had even got in touch asking if they could help out.

She admitted she was “shocked” at how far the post on social media had reached, as it was originally aimed at families and friends of people in the school.

Friend Michelle Murphy praised Ms Madden's efforts and said she had stayed up through the night to sort out the donations.

Ms Murphy said: “The response has been fantastic as the community has really pulled together.

“The piles of donations were incredible – they were sorted into piles that were taller than her.”

The cause of the fire is not yet known, although a witness has said it started after a fridge exploded in one of the flats.

People were seen waving sheets out of windows in a bid to be rescued, with others jumping from the building in order to escape the fire and smoke.