At least 44 people were killed when a blaze swept through several high-rise buildings in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon in Hong Kong’s worst fire in 63 years, officials said.
Firefighters are still battling the blaze in the Tai Po neighborhood and trying to reach people trapped inside.
By Thursday morning, officials said they had contained the blaze in four buildings, but firefighters were still working on three others, more than 16 hours after the blaze broke out.
Here’s what to know:
What happened in Hong Kong?
A fire broke out at about 2:51 a.m. local time (06:51 GMT) on Wednesday at an apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighborhood.
The fire broke out on bamboo scaffolding outside a building. This type of scaffolding made of bamboo poles used by workers during repairs burns very easily. Once the scaffolding caught fire, the flames quickly spread through the structure and into the building and then to nearby towers.
Due to ongoing renovation work the blocks were wrapped in green construction netting up to the roofs, which also caught fire, helping it spread faster.
According to local media, the fire grew rapidly: by 3:34 am (07:34 GMT), it had reached level four alarm, and by 6:22 pm (10:22 GMT), it had reached level five alarm – the highest alert level in Hong Kong.
The fire is Hong Kong’s deadliest since at least August 1962, when 44 people died in a fire in the city’s Sham Shui Po district. In November 1996, a fire broke out at the Garley Building on Nathan Road in Kowloon, killing 41 people and injuring 81 others.
Since Monday, a fire alert has been issued in Hong Kong as the danger of fire has become very high due to dry weather conditions.
Where did the fire start from?
The fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
Built in 1983, the complex consists of eight high-rise buildings with a total of 1,984 flats. According to local media reports, seven buildings were affected by the fire. Four of them have been brought under control.
Tai Po is a suburb of Hong Kong near the border with mainland China, and is home to approximately 300,000 residents. It is part of the government’s subsidized home-ownership scheme.
Property records show Wang Fuc Court is undergoing major renovation work, costing approximately $42.43 million.
How did the fire spread so fast and what is the reason for it?
The fire spread very quickly as it started on the bamboo scaffolding around the building and spread to the green netting covering the structures.
Both bamboo and green netting burn easily, so once they caught fire, the flames extended to the outside of the tower and reached several floors.
Burning fragments then fell and within minutes the surrounding buildings caught fire. Wind and open areas due to renovation work likely caused the flames to grow stronger.
Although the exact cause is still being investigated, officials say flammable scaffolding, construction materials and tall, closely packed towers helped the fire get out of control.
Police also said they found mesh and other protective material outside the buildings that did not appear to be fireproof, as well as Styrofoam material on windows.
Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung of the Hong Kong Police Force said, “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and the fire spreading out of control, resulting in a large number of casualties.”
Authorities have arrested two directors of a construction company, aged 52 to 68, and an engineering consultant.
Chung said police arrested them at about 2am on Thursday (18:00 GMT, Wednesday) in Tai Po, Ngau Tau Kok and San Po Kong districts.
How many people are dead or missing?
Officials have confirmed the death of 44 people, including a firefighter. About 279 residents are still unaccounted for. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority told CNN that at least 66 people were hospitalized as of 8 a.m. (00:00 GMT). The condition of 17 of them was critical and 24 were said to be critical.
Four people died in the hospital. About 900 people have sought shelter in community centres.
What’s the latest on the ground?
It’s 9:42 a.m. (01:42 GMT) in Hong Kong and firefighters are still battling the blaze, according to local reports.
Earlier, the South China Morning Post reported that Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of fire services, said extreme heat had prevented firefighters from reaching some upper-floor apartments. He said teams would “keep trying” to reach him.
He also said that “debris and scaffolding from the affected building are falling down, posing additional danger to our frontline workers”.
There was darkness throughout the night, he said, and this made rescue and fire-fighting operations “more difficult”.
“In the hours of darkness, this will create additional danger and difficulties for our operation, and as of this moment, the temperature inside the fire site is still very high. Therefore, we are having difficulty getting to the upper floors of the two buildings.”
The Hong Kong Fire Service Department dispatched more than 1,200 firefighters and ambulance personnel to the scene, officials said. Some people in the area have returned to work and school.
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