At least 13 people, including a firefighter, have died in a massive fire that engulfed an entire eight-building complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, with many residents trapped inside their flats.
The Fire Services Department told Reuters it does not yet have figures for how many people may still be inside the buildings.
The fire continues to rage in parts of the Wang Fuk Court complex, with the fire service unable to make a safe estimate of when the flames will be fully extinguished, according to Chinese media.
Authorities said temperatures inside the burning buildings pose a challenge for firefighting efforts. “Debris and scaffolding from the affected building are falling, creating additional danger for our frontline personnel,” the deputy director of the fire service said.
Thick, dark smoke rose into the sky on Wednesday afternoon as the fire spread initially to four tower blocks and then to the entire complex. Police said there were multiple reports of people trapped, whilst a man and a woman were found unconscious with burns.
The fire, initially classified as level 1, was upgraded to level 4 at 3:34pm and reached the highest level 5 at 6:22pm, on the maximum severity scale used in Hong Kong.
Videos from the scene show flames engulfing bamboo scaffolding on the exterior of many flats, whilst sections of the green protective mesh collapsed burning to the ground.
The firefighting operation involves 128 fire engines, 57 ambulances, 767 firefighters and 400 police officers. Meanwhile, more than 700 people have been moved to five temporary shelters opened by the Tai Po district office.
(information from protothema.gr)
