Hong Kong high-rise fire continues to burn; death toll rises to 55, hundreds still unaccounted for

Firefighters in Hong Kong battled through the night into Thursday (Nov 27) as a massive blaze tore through a high-rise housing estate. The death toll has now risen to at least 55, with hundreds still missing. The fire is believed to be the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The inferno broke out Wednesday afternoon at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, an eight-block estate with nearly 2,000 units that was undergoing large-scale repair work. Flames engulfed bamboo scaffolding within minutes, racing up the facade and leaping between buildings in the dense complex.

Three arrested for igniting inferno

Police said three men were arrested after flammable materials left during maintenance allowed the fire "to spread rapidly beyond control". By dawn, parts of the estate were still burning. AFP, citing its reporters, reports that cracking sounds from collapsing scaffolding can be heard as thick columns of smoke continue to rise into the sky. Whole sections of charred bamboo rained down from the upper floors as the blaze lit surrounding blocks with an orange glow.

Many residents, especially elderly tenants living alone, struggled to escape. A 65-year-old man surnamed Yuen, who has lived there for more than 40 years, said several neighbours only realised there was a fire after receiving calls urging them to flee. "The windows were closed because of the maintenance, (some people) didn't know there was a fire and had to be told to evacuate via phone calls by neighbours," he told AFP. "I'm devastated."

Hundreds missing

Early on Thursday, Hong Kong leader John Lee said 279 people remained unaccounted for, though firefighters later managed to make contact with a few of them. He also revealed that more than 900 people took shelter overnight.