This is the heartbreaking reason dogs are being used in the Grenfell Tower recovery mission

London Fire Brigade have confirmed that specialist search dogs have been used at Grenfell Tower following the devastating inferno which has killed 58 people.
Dogs being deployed at Grenfell Tower - Image: Twitter @LondonFireDogs being deployed at Grenfell Tower - Image: Twitter @LondonFire
Dogs being deployed at Grenfell Tower - Image: Twitter @LondonFire

More than 200 firefighters raced to the scene in West London on Wednesday morning to tackle the 24 storey blaze.

London Fire Commissioner Danny Cotton said crews were not expected to find any more survivors at the scene and the operation was now recovery rather than rescue.

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Specialist search and rescue dogs have been utilised by the brigade in the long and painstaking search for information.

The Brigade said that the dogs are used as they are lighter and can cover a larger area.

This will help crews identify anything around the building that may help confirm the identity of those still inside.

The canines have come from the LFB and MET's urban search crews and have been given special equipment to carry out their tasks.

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London Fire tweeted a picture of one of the dogs wearing little boots to protect their feet from heat and broken glass.

Commissioner Cotton said: "We realise that a lot of people are still incredibly concerned about their loved ones who are still unaccounted for and our priority is to do the best for those waiting for news of their relatives and friends.

“Our specialist urban search and rescue (USAR) crews are currently working to make the block safe so our firefighters can continue to progress throughout the building, making a detailed, fingertip search, for anyone who may still be inside.

"This will be a slow and painstaking process which will require a large amount of shoring up work inside the building, especially on the upper floors, which will be the most challenging for us to access and search.

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"I want to be realistic, we are likely to have crews working at the scene for many days to come. We do not yet know what caused the fire.

"We do not know where it started and we do not know why it spread in the way that it did. Investigations have started but it is too soon to say any more.

“This was a tragic and unprecedented fire and our thoughts remain with all those affected by it. As I have stated many times, I have never experienced anything like this in my career.

"However, I have taken enormous strength from the amazing response from all my staff and the response of the other emergency services who continue to be involved in the response to the incident.”