When 79 people are killed after a fire rages through their apartment complex – a place where people are entitled to feel safe and secure – it’s only natural for people to seek out whatever sliver of ‘positive’ stories of escape they can find.

So when news broke that 12 days after the tragedy, a baby had been found alive in the burnt-out remains of the Grenfell Tower, the story went viral.

The fire raged for 24 hours, with the death toll currently sitting at 79. Image via Getty.

The story claimed the baby had survived the blaze, and had been found on the sixteenth floor of the tower.

The fake website quotes real sources. Image via Facebook.

A link to the story - which appeared on a site calledMetro-uk, which has no relation to the realMetro.co.uk - was shared under the guise of 'breaking news'.

The article included quotes from real people, like London Mayor Sadiq Khan and emergency workers who had been involved in the rescue operation.

Baby rescued from grenfell twelve days after disaster- god really does work miracles x

— Nichola Burley (@NicholaABurley) June 26, 2017

So a baby has been found alive on the 16th floor of Grenfell Tower. I did say there were probably still some survivors. #GrenfellTower

— Two Three. ???? (@JuStChrxssy) June 26, 2017

But it has been revealed the story is a cruel hoax, posted by a 'fake news' outlet which is infamous for sharing other fabricated stories in the past.

Readers were horrified that such a hopeful story could have been shared for the simple purpose of tricking the public.

How low can you get. There's a fake story going around about a baby being rescued from Grenfell Tower after 12 days.

— Adam ???? (@Paranoimia) June 26, 2017

I'd love to find that absolute low life cretin who has just made me fall for a fake article on a baby survival from Grenfell Tower.

— ⚪️ʂαɾα-ʝαყɳҽ⚫️ (@SJ_NUFC) June 25, 2017

Disgusting how people are spreading fake news about Grenfell Tower purely for retweets

— gee (@grxceee) June 26, 2017

Reading some sad #Fakenews about #GrenfellTower baby. Some people have no shame! #Getalife!!

— Jamie Myers (@JamieMyers9) June 26, 2017

Sadly, the rise of false, shareable content is nothing new: in the wake of tragedies like the Manchester attack and the recent terrorist events in London, many shared links and images of people missing in the attacks.

Some of the images spread online were stolen, with one belonging to a Melbourne girl who was at primary school at the time of the attack on an Ariana Grande's concert.

Readers are being urged to notify Facebook of the fake story if it appears in their feeds. LISTEN: What happens when even the real news seems fake? Mamamia Out Loud discusses...