A fast-moving fire ripped through a cluster of high-rise apartment towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and injuring 15 others.
Buildings are still burning six hours later, as Reuters provides a YouTube live of the fire.
The blaze began just before 3 p.m. local time (around midnight Mountain Time) at Wang Fuk Court — a public housing complex of nearly 2,000 apartments — and quickly spread across bamboo scaffolding that wrapped several of the buildings, The New York Times reported.
Emergency officials said the fire had reached Hong Kong’s highest alarm level. A 37-year-old firefighter was among the dead. Hong Kong’s director of fire services, Andy Yeung, issued a release stating, “I am profoundly grieved at the loss of this dedicated and gallant fireman.”
Authorities said rescue efforts were hampered by falling debris and extreme heat inside the towers. Derek Armstrong Chan of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department said at a briefing that crews faced “extremely high temperatures” that made reaching upper floors nearly impossible.
CNN added that firefighters are trying to get in touch by phone with trapped residents, urging them to seal doors and windows with tape and wet towels.
Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of the Hong Kong Fire Department said, “There are still cases in the upper floor where we are still unable to reach. However, our control center is in touch with them by phone. Once we are able to reach the units in the upper floor, we will immediately bring them to safety.”
The BBC reported that more than 760 first responders, over 120 fire trucks and nearly 60 ambulances have been deployed.
CNN reported that this is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in almost 30 years. In 1997 a fire ripped through a karaoke bar killing 17.
Bamboo scaffolding — widely used across the city — has drawn increasing scrutiny after playing a role in several recent fires. The New York Times reported in May that the government announced plans to phase out the material in favor of steel, citing fire-safety concerns.
Several residents told reporters that alarms failed to sound. One elderly resident, Chan Kwong-tak, told the South China Morning Post, “If someone was sleeping then, they were done,” after saying no alarms went off in his building.
Fox News reported that thousands of residents have been displaced. The government opened temporary shelters in nearby community halls and schools, where many residents were seen arriving late into the night.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said he activated the city’s Emergency Accident Monitoring and Support Center, per The New York Times.
China’s top leader, Xi Jinping also expressed condolences and urged for “all-out rescue efforts to minimize loss,” according to Xinhua, the country’s news agency.
Dozens are still gathering nearby, some are praying in silence and some are delivering water and food, per the BBC.
Authorities have not yet identified a cause of the fire. The number of those still trapped inside the towers remains unclear.
