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Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.STR/AFP/Getty Images
At least four people were killed and many more trapped as a huge fire engulfed multiple apartment blocks in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
The fire broke out early in the afternoon local time and quickly spread through several buildings in Wang Fuk Court, an estate in the city’s Tai Po district. The tower blocks were all undergoing renovations and were covered in bamboo scaffolding and protective mesh, allowing the flames to jump from building to building faster than firefighters could respond.
At 6:22 pm, the Hong Kong fire authorities issued a number-five alarm, the highest level, as they continued to desperately try and bring the blaze under control. A number-four-alarm fire in 2016 burned for four days.
At least four people have died after a massive fire engulfed multiple high-rise towers of a residential complex in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, with thick grey smoke billowing out as emergency services battled to subdue the blaze.
Reuters
According to a government statement, at least four people were killed in the fire, and nine hospitalized. Of those, three were in a critical condition.
Thirty-seven-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho was among those killed, the city’s director of fire services said in a statement.
“I am profoundly grieved at the loss of this dedicated and gallant fireman,” said Andy Yeung. “All of our colleagues are deeply saddened by the loss of such a devoted comrade.”
Photos and video from the scene showed flames covering at least three buildings, with smaller blazes spreading to others nearby. While most residents were evacuated, police told local media that they were receiving calls from people still trapped inside the burning tower blocks, including elderly and small children.
The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread on bamboo scaffolding that had been set up around the exterior of the complex in the city’s Tai Po district, a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong.
The Associated Press
According to the South China Morning Post, Wang Fuk Court is comprised of almost 2,000 flats, housing around 4,000 people.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said he had convened a meeting of the city’s emergency response team, adding temporary shelters had been arranged for residents displaced by the blaze.
“The fire has resulted in multiple casualties, including the death of a firefighter in the line of duty,” Mr. Lee said in a statement. “I express my deepest sorrow and extend my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and the injured.”
Weather conditions in Hong Kong have been exceptionally dry in recent days, with the city’s Observatory issuing a Red Fire Danger warning every day since Monday.
Bamboo scaffolding is common throughout Hong Kong and often seen as an iconic emblem of the city’s development, though following a smaller fire earlier this year, officials said they will begin to phase it out due to safety concerns.
