Ines Alves had just seconds to figure out what to take with her.

A few minutes earlier, her parents arrived home from dinner with friends to find Grenfell Tower on fire. Alves's father rushed up to their 13th-floor apartment, first by elevator, and then, when the smoke thickened, by stair.

The building was on fire, he told his two children, when he rushed through the door. They had to go. Now.

SoAlves, 16, threw on jeans and a T-shirt, then grabbed her phone and rushed down the fire escape.

She grabbed one other thing too her chemistry notes.

Once outside, the family watched the fire spread. I never thought it would escalate to the whole building, Alvestold the Guardian.

Even as this crisis unfolded, though, she modeled that most British of behaviors: She kept calm and carried on.I had my revision notes, so I was like, 'I may as well just sit down and read through my notes,' she told the Guardian. Later, she told theDaily Mirror that 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.

Not all of her neighbors were so lucky. According to police, at least 30 people perished in the fire. And that number may rise to 100, authorities warn. The cause of the fire that's captured the world's attention is unknown. But a slew of factors like a lack of working fire alarms and sprinklers, and cheap, flammable cladding on the building's exterior helped it spread quickly and account for the high death toll.

One issue seems to have been the poorly considered fire escape plan. According to Alves's brother, Tiago, firefighters told their mother thather family and others should remain inside their apartments. But because my mum had my dads phone, she didnt have any way to tell us, Tiago told the Guardian. It's a coincidence that probably saved their lives.

Finally, in the middle of the night, Alves left the scene to get a bit of sleep. At 8 a.m., just hours after she watched flames consume her family's home, she sat for her final exam in chemistry at Sacred Heart.

She decided to take the test, even though her school told her she didn't have to.Her brother told theIndependent thatwe 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.Her school had even contacted the exam board and told her she didn't have to come in.

She told the newspaper that she was devastated by the fire, but there was nothing else she could to.Everything was already burned, so there was really nothing to worry about, she said. It was at the back of my mind, but I managed to do the exam. There were a few questions where I didnt know the answer, so I thought about the fire, but I managed to complete the test.

Her school has offered Alves and her familyfood, clothing, travel expenses and dispensation from her other exams. She said that her family has been visiting others affected by the fire with donations of food, clothing and other gifts.

We're just trying to help other people as much as we can, Tiago told the Independent. The future is still uncertain and we will look to the future when it arrives.

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This girl watched her London apartment burn, then took her chemistry exam - Washington Post