THE nephew of a man killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze in London said his uncle 'wanted his family to know he loved them'.
Darren Disson, from Blackburn, said he rushed to call relatives after seeing the flames billowing out Grenfell Tower in Notting Hill, where his uncle, Tony, lived, on the television in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Tony, 65, lived on the 22nd floor of the 24-storey tower block which was gutted in the ferocious blaze.
Darren, 56, said he learned of his uncle's last traumatic moments from his cousin Lee, 47.
Lee called his father at around 3am after the fire had started.
He said: "Lee said he told my uncle to put a blanket on his head and get out.
"My uncle kept saying he was told to stay put, I don't know why he was listening to that because he never used to listen to anyone.
"My uncle said he wanted to let everyone know he loved them, and that was the last thing we heard.
"The family have been told by the police he's been confirmed to have died.
"We sort of expected it because of how bad the fire was, and no one could find him, but it's so hard to take in.
"I'm stunned from shock, it's horrible for the family."
At least 30 people have been confirmed to have died in the blaze.
Around 70 people could be missing and some remain in hospital in critical care.
Tony had three other sons, Harry, Alfie and Charlie
Darren said: "My partner Jackie Walmsley has been amazing with me during this horrific period.
"She's been my rock and supported me constantly.
"It's on my mind all the time and I'm thinking about it every single minute.
"There are so many people affected by this.
"I'll be going down to see the family at some point, I don't know when exactly."
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