"More than 24 hours after the first tower caught fire, the Hong Kong residential complex was still burning. Fire crews blasted water from cherrypickers at the mid-level floors, but above that, the fires were roaring out of reach. Wang Fuk Court, in the northern Hong Kong district of Tai Po, was home to about 4,800 people. The eight-tower complex had been under renovation for years, clad in bamboo scaffolding and mesh."
"By evening, seven buildings were ablaze, and the death toll had already surpassed Hong Kong's previous worst ever building fire disaster. At least 65 people have been killed, including one firefighter, and dozens injured. At least 55 were rescued but more than 250 are missing. Firefighters were still unable to reach the top levels of some of the 31-storey towers, although one elderly man was rescued alive from his high up apartment earlier in the day."
"The air was still filled with acrid smoke, which reminded some of how the city smelled during the worst violence of the 2019 protests. A brief panic broke out when a flickering light in the window of a different block was mistaken for another fire, and onlookers exchanged nervous looks when the breeze picked up: Wednesday's fire was fanned by a stiff winter northerly, said James Tang, who lives in one of the towers."
A fast-moving fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, an eight-tower residential complex in Tai Po, northern Hong Kong, shortly after renovation works. The blaze began in one tower, spread internally and jumped to neighbouring towers, and by evening seven buildings were ablaze. Firefighters used cherrypickers to blast water at mid-level floors but could not reach many upper levels of the 31-storey blocks. At least 65 people were killed, including one firefighter; dozens were injured, about 55 rescued and more than 250 reported missing. Strong northerly winds and dense acrid smoke hampered rescue efforts and forced evacuations to local shelters.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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