'It was my flat. My fridge exploded': Man whose 'faulty fridge started London tower inferno' identified

The Grenfell Tower resident, whose faulty fridge is believed to have started a blaze that killed 17 people, has reportedly been identified as an Ethiopian taxi driver.

The UK media are reporting that Behailu Kebede called emergency services after flames took hold of his fourth floor flat in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

With so many residents from the 24-storey building still unaccounted for, it’s feared the death toll could rise to over 100.

Mr Kebede, a father of one, escaped the inferno but was in a state of shock.

“Behailu did raise the alarm, that is what I am hearing,” his friend Eshete Meried told local media.

Behailu Kebede reportedly called emergency services after the flames took hold of his fourth floor flat.

The father-of-one survived the blaze.

“He is fine but he is not in a position to talk about anything right now. I understand that he in a temporary shelter, staying with friends.”

Father of two Mahad Egal said he was at home with his children when Mr Kebede knocked on the door.

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“It was so dark. I wrapped some wet towels around the kids’ heads to protect them from the smoke and then we ran," Mr Egal told The Sun.

“Outside, we were confronted by my neighbour who said, ‘Are you OK? It was my flat. My fridge exploded.’”

It's believed Mr Kebede alerted neighbours of the blaze and urged them to run for safety.

It's feared the death toll could grow into three figures. Source: SWNS

Firefighters search the scene in the fire’s aftermath. Source: Getty Images

London Police now say a criminal investigation has been launched in the wake of the fatal fire.

Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said on Thursday senior officers are leading the investigation into the fire that devastated the 24-story Grenfell Tower public housing block.

Cundy said "as the police, we investigate criminal offences. I am not sitting here and saying there are criminal offences that have been committed, that's why you do an investigation".

Residents of Grenfell say their fears about fire safety had been ignored for years by local government authorities.

Police are still searching for an unknown number of missing people after the fire.