A visual timeline of the few hours it took a small fire to grow into Hong Kong’s worst blaze in decades

Hong Kong
 — 

In just a few short hours on Wednesday afternoon, what began as a small fire on the first floor of an apartment building swelled into a raging inferno that consumed seven high-rise towers on a Hong Kong public housing estate.

At least 128 people have died, as many as 200 are missing, and thousands are now homeless in a city that is chronically short of space – and where property prices are among the world’s most expensive.

The blaze has also stunned Hong Kong, which has a strong safety record and is unused to disasters on this scale.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. But the buildings in the complex had all been under renovation, with many windows blocked by highly flammable polystyrene that authorities say helped fuel the fire.

That, and a series of other safety shortcomings, all fueled Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades.

Here’s a timeline of how the blaze burned out of control.

Roughly 24 hours after the fire began, the scale of the tragedy slowly became clear – and the death toll continued ticking up throughout the following days.

Facing heavy pressure from a grieving and angry public, authorities have launched criminal and anticorruption investigations, arresting eight more people on Friday linked to the renovation project.

But for survivors and bereaved families, there may be no answer that can ease the pain of what they’ve lost.