At least four people have been killed by a huge fire that has engulfed three residential towers in Hong Kong – trapping locals in their apartments.
Flames and smoke tore through the 31-floor high-rise buildings of Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district – with crews wrestling with the blaze into the night.
Police have received reports of multiple people trapped in the buildings, unable to escape through the smoke and flames.
The government has confirmed that at least four people, including a firefighter, have died – and another eight are injured.
Some of those injured are in a critical condition, with reports that three were rushed to hospital unconscious and with burns.
A 71-year-old man, wearing a yellow T-shirt and in visible distress in photos from the scene, said his wife was trapped in one of the towers.
The man, surname Wong, broke down in tears and could do nothing but watch and pray.
The fire spread through bamboo scaffolding set up around the outside of the housing blocks in the city’s Tai Po district, Hong Kong media reports said.
Live video from the scene shows an intense fire, with flames visibly licking from three towers through the afternoon and into the night.
Burning sections of green scaffolding mesh and other flaming debris can be seen falling to the ground.
The blaze was reported midafternoon local time on Wednesday and upgraded to a No 4 alarm fire – the second highest level – the city’s Fire Services Department said.
Authorities closed sections of a nearby highway as crews fought the blaze.
Footage from the scene shows a number of fire engines parked around the buildings, with enormous water jets mounted to long extensions aimed into the towers.
The fire department said: “Residents nearby are advised to stay indoors, close their doors and windows, and stay calm.
“Members of the public are also advised to avoid going to the area affected by the fire.”
Residents of the burning towers have been shepherded into nearby shelters, which are filling up with a stream of people including children and the elderly.
Wang Fuk Court, which opened in 1983, is home to around 4,000 residents, who live in around 2,000 apartments across eight blocks.
Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong in the New Territories and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.
