700 people taken to shelters
The fire spread to seven buildings and 700 people have been taken to temporary shelters, according to The Associated Press. Nearly 5,000 people are reported to live in the complex’s 2,000 apartment units.
Videos and photos of the fire show flames raging out of windows, blackening entire facades of the buildings and sending columns of smoke towering above.
Lo Hiu-fung, a Taipo District Council member, told local TV station TVB that most of the residents trapped in the fire were believed to be elderly people, The Associated Press reported.
