Brave teenage survivor of Grenfell Tower fire fled her home with revision notes and then went straight to GCSE chemistry exam
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A heroic teenage survivor of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire escaped the inferno before heading into school to sit her chemistry GCSE exam.
Brave Ines Alves and her family lived on the 13th floor of the North Kensington tower block, with her parents and brother Tiago, which has been destroyed in the devastating blaze .
But despite having to flee her home and unable to sleep for the rest of the night, the 16-year-old made her way into Sacred Heart School in Hammersmith for the GCSE exam, wearing the same clothes she had fled her home in.
The family have lost everything, but the teenager had studied so hard for her chemistry exam she was determined she would sit it.
The exam was even uppermost in Ines mind as she fled her home as she grabbed nothing but her phone and chemistry revision notes.
(Photo: Ines Alves)
(Photo: Ines Alves)
(Photo: AFP)
She said: "I put on my jeans and a top and just grabbed by phone and chemistry notes. I was trying to revise while we waited downstairs as we thought it was a small fire at first but it was impossible.
"Considering what had happened I think the exam went OK. I want to do A-level chemistry and I need an A in science so I was thinking of my future when I decided to sit the exam."
Her proud brother, Tiago, a physics student at Kings College in London, said: "We realised about 3am that our flat had been destroyed and despite being at a friend's house, my sister couldn't sleep, so she studied for the exam instead.
"We had told her she didn't have to sit the exam because of the extenuating circumstances, but she had studied so hard for it she was determined she was going to take it.
(Photo: Getty Images Europe)
(Photo: Rex Features)
"Her school had even contacted the exam board and told her she didn't have to come in, but she wants to study chemistry at A-level. She said it went well, and my sister is a smart girl, so if she said it went well, it did."
After sitting her exam, Ines joined the rest of her family, parents Miguel and Fatima along with Tiago, to do all she could to help others who had lost everything in the fire.
Ines said: "I just wanted to do all I could to help and I wanted to see my friends, who were also helping. They've been incredibly supportive."
Tiago added: "We were one of the families who got out of the building quickly and we all went to friends' homes so had managed to get an hour's rest so as soon as we got up we just wanted to help people and do what we could.
(Photo: John Nguyen/JNVisuals)
(Photo: PA)
(Photo: Barcroft Media)
"We went to the various community centres to see what we could do to help and carried food and water around the community."
The family were alerted to the fire when Miguel, a chauffeur, arrived home from work.
Tiago said: "My sister and I picked up our wallets and keys and we all left the flat. We were stood watching it and we could see it was starting to spread.
"At about 3am we realised our home would be engulfed by the flames as the fire just kept spreading."
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The family have been separated by the blaze, with Ines staying with a school friend, while Tiago is staying with one of his friend's and their parents with other people.
The family, who lost everything in the inferno, have been told they will be contacted within the next 48 hours by the council about their living arrangements.
Ines has been loaned clothes by her kindhearted friends, as she has no clothes other than what she fled her home wearing.
Brave Tiago said: "We aren't worried about what will happen. We're just trying to help other people as much as we can. The future is still uncertain and we will look to the future when it arrives."
(Photo: SWNS.com)
(Photo: AFP)
The terrible fire has claimed the lives of at least 12 people, with 18 still fighting for their lives, while dozens more are injured.
Smoke is still wafting out of the charred shell of the tower block as firefighters are still at the scene.
Families are making desperate appeals for loved ones, including parents Farah Hamdan and Omar Belkadi and their young daughters Tazmin Belkadi, 6, Malek, 10.
Twelve people have been confirmed dead, but police say the death toll is expected to rise during a "complex recovery operation" which will take a number of days to complete.
(Photo: David Parker/Daily Mirror)
Nearly 80 people were treated at six London hospitals, including 18 people remain in critical care.
Many residents were trapped in their flats when the fire broke out at the tower in Latimer Road, North Kensington, shortly before 1am on Wednesday morning. One local community leader fears nobody on the top three floors survived .
Witnesses described terrifying scenes as residents jumped from their flats and parents threw their children out of windows in a desperate bid to save them - with reports a baby thrown from the sixth floor was caught . Some used ropes made from knotted bedsheets to escape the flames and smoke.
The cause of the fire is not known at this stage, says the London Fire Brigade.