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In a matter of hours on Wednesday afternoon, what started as a small blaze on the first floor of an apartment building grew into a massive blaze that consumed seven high-rise towers on a Hong Kong public housing estate.
At least 128 people have been killed, more than 200 are missing, and thousands are now homeless in a city that is desperately short of space – and where property prices are among the world’s most expensive.
The fire has also stunned Hong Kong, which has a strong safety record and is not used to disasters on this scale.
The cause of the fire has not been known yet. But as all the buildings on the campus were being renovated, many windows were covered with highly flammable polystyrene, which officials say helped fuel the fire.
That, and a series of other security shortcomings, all sparked Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades.
Here’s a timeline of how the fire got out of control.
About 24 hours after the fire began, the scale of the tragedy gradually became clear – and the death toll continued to rise over the next few days.
Facing immense pressure from an unhappy and angry public, authorities have launched a criminal and anti-corruption investigation, arresting eight more people linked to the renovation project on Friday.
But for the survivors and bereaved families, there may be no answers that can ease the pain of what they have lost.
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