A dad's simple kitchen appliance is believed to have sparked the deadly London fire.

A father-of-one raised the alarm after seeing flames pouring from his fridge in his fourth floor apartment within the Grenfell Tower block, according to UK reports.

A friend of taxi driver Behailu Kebede said the man called emergency services to the 24-storey building fire in West London that has so far claimed at least 17 lives.

Kebede is said to have frantically banged on the doors' of his neighbours as the fire started by the faulty fridge rapidly escalated, engulfing his apartment before spreading to other floors.

One of Kebede's neighbours, Mahad Egal told the Mirror the first he knew of the inferno was the father's warning to evacuate.

"It was so dark. I wrapped some wet towels around the kids’ heads to protect them from the smoke and then we ran," he said.

"Outside, we were confronted by [Kebede] who said, ‘Are you OK? It was my flat. My fridge exploded'."

Kebede escaped uninjured and is now staying in a temporary shelter.

Emergency services are today tasked with combing the wreckage of the fire, which is suspected of spreading largely due to the building's cladding and lack of fire safety.

A symbol of austerity.
#GrenfellTower #TheresaMayOut pic.twitter.com/HFXYNpR9Dy

— Quest4Truth (@JonJonesSnr) June 15, 2017

Authorities confirm it could be months before we know the full number of fatalities.

The victims are being honoured in tributes around the city, with London-born singer Adele discretely attending a vigil near Grenfell Tower.