Hong Kong Tower Fire Kills At Least 36, With 279 People Missing

Hong Kong rescue workers are fighting to contain a major blaze at a high-rise complex that’s killed at least 36 people and left potentially many more trapped, with Chinese President Xi Jinping urging all-out efforts to reduce casualties.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said at a media briefing that 279 people were missing from the blaze in the housing estate in northern Hong Kong. Earlier, officials from the police and fire department said 15 people were injured. Xi also asked other local governments to aid Hong Kong, according to the state news agency Xinhua.

The eight-tower complex on fire has close to 2,000 units, according to the Hong Kong Housing Authority. Residents of several buildings had made calls to say they were unable to escape, public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong reported earlier, citing a police statement.

Hong Kong estates are densely populated, with multi-generational families often living inside one small apartment. Wang Fuk Court’s was estimated to house nearly 5,000 people. The complex was built as government-subsidized housing in the 1980s and was undergoing a lengthy renovation. 

Authorities said the fire broke out around 2:50 p.m. on Wednesday. Video footage showed the blaze still raging after dark had fallen. Videos circulating online showed smoke billowing into the sky from the residential buildings, where bamboo scaffolding appeared to have caught fire. The blaze is Hong Kong’s worst since 41 people died in Kowloon in 1996.

A 37-year-old fireman was among the dead, after being found collapsed at the scene and rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital, the government said in a statement. The fire has been classified at alert level 5, the most severe category. 

Scaffolding at Wang Cheong House in the complex caught fire first, deputy fire services director Derek Chan said at a media briefing five hours after the blaze began, according to RTHK.

“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings are falling down, so they pose additional danger to our frontline personnel,” he said, the outlet reported. “The temperature inside the buildings concerned are very high. It’s quite difficult for us to enter.”

Lee, the Hong Kong chief executive, said in a statement that he’d ordered an all-out effort across government departments to put out the fire and rescue those trapped. He as well as Xi expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.