At least 13 dead as fire engulfs Hong Kong tower blocks

Not less than 13 folks have been killed and 15 others injured in an enormous fireplace that has engulfed a number of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.

The blaze broke out on the Wang Fuk Court docket housing complicated at 14:51 native time (06:51 GMT) and was upgraded to a stage 4 alarm inside 40 minutes. It was raised once more, to the very best stage, 5, at 18:22.

Greater than 700 firefighters have been deployed to deal with the blaze, with footage displaying flames and thick clouds of gray smoke billowing from the towers.

The trigger is unknown, however the flames are believed to have unfold rapidly by bamboo scaffolding, used for renovations, which lined the surface of the tower blocks.

9 folks died on the scene, whereas an additional 4 died later in hospital, fireplace service officers confirmed on Wednesday night.

Amongst these killed was firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37. He was discovered collapsed on the scene about half an hour after contact with him was misplaced and was then taken to hospital.

“The temperature contained in the buildings involved are very excessive, so it is fairly troublesome for us to enter the constructing and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operation,” stated Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fireplace providers.

He added that it was troublesome to know when the hearth could be extinguished.

Tai Po District Councillor Mui Siu-fung instructed BBC Chinese language that firefighters had been unable to enter the buildings safely to hold out search and rescue operations.

Wang Fuk Court docket is a housing complicated made up of eight tower blocks that present 1,984 flats for some 4,000 residents.

It’s not clear how many individuals have been within the flats on the time of the hearth and if others are nonetheless trapped within the constructing, however it’s understood that almost all have been evacuated.

Police have additionally evacuated close by buildings, whereas the federal government has opened a number of momentary shelters, together with on the Kwong Fuk Group Corridor and the Tung Cheong Avenue Leisure Constructing.

There’s a giant evacuation zone across the fireplace, roads are closed and greater than 30 bus routes have been diverted, Hong Kong’s Transport Division says.

Mui Siu-fung stated that Wang Fuk Court docket contains eight blocks – which have been all present process renovations. Seven of those blocks have been affected by the hearth, the exterior bamboo scaffolding severely broken.

The usage of bamboo scaffolding is frequent in Hong Kong, which is erected by tying bamboo poles along with nylon fasteners.

In accordance with native media experiences from March, the federal government’s growth bureau has been making an attempt to section out using bamboo scaffolding on account of security issues.

The final time Hong Kong confronted a stage 5 fireplace was 17 years in the past, when 4 folks died after Cornwall Court docket – within the industrial district of Mong Kok – caught on fireplace. The constructing was erected in 1962.