"At least 36 people were killed and 279 were unaccounted for in Hong Kong after a massive fire tore through a complex of residential high-rise buildings, city leader John Lee said on Thursday. Lee said at a press briefing that 29 people were still hospitalised, with seven of them in critical condition. Since Wednesday afternoon, teams of firefighters have been attempting to douse the flames at Wang Fuk Court, a housing complex made up of eight blocks in the city's Tai Po district"
"Firefighters deployed 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances to the scene. "Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings are falling down," said deputy director of Fire Services Derek Armstrong Chan. "The temperature inside the buildings concerned (is) very high. It's difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.""
"The fire department said it received reports on Wednesday at 2:51 p.m. (0651 GMT) of a fire in the residential complex. It was upgraded to a Number 4 alarm at 3:34 p.m. and as night fell it was declared a five-alarm fire, the highest level. The fire was eventually upgraded to a level 5 alarm, the most severe"
At least 36 people were killed and 279 remain unaccounted for after a massive fire swept Wang Fuk Court, a residential complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong. Twenty-nine people were hospitalised, seven critically. The blaze began Wednesday afternoon and burned into early Thursday, spreading across multiple 31-storey towers that house about 2,000 apartments. Bamboo scaffolding and green construction netting on building exteriors appeared to aid the spread. The fire escalated to the highest alarms as firefighters deployed 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances. High internal temperatures, falling debris and scaffolding hindered entry and rescue, and many residents, reportedly elderly, may be trapped.
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