26 hours after the fire started, only one road was still closed, only one fire engine left, and I saw only two fire-fighters among the many, many people pointing cameras and phones upwards.

I acquired a deep admiration for the fire and rescue service when, in a previous job, I worked fairly closely with Oxfordshire's assistant chief fire officer and I learnt more about fire-fighters' work. A comment from his successor today reminded me of their capacity to combine extraordinary bravery in the face of something ferocious with an understanding of an individual's concerns: "We were working overnight to damp down the embers. There was a wedding party, we were liaising with them and we went back in and got the rings and the floor plans. Those are small things but it's someone's special day today."