Journalism of Courage
At least 36 people have been killed in a devastating fire that engulfed seven high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Many more are feared to be trapped inside the high-rise buildings in the Tai Po district, in the New Territories.
Videos and images posted on social media showed the extent of the devastation caused by the inferno.
The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the housing complex.
The blaze started mid-afternoon, and authorities upgraded it to a level 5 alarm, the highest level of severity, after nightfall, the Fire Services Department said.
Records show the housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 people.
Multiple buildings close to each other were ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of many of the apartments’ windows as night fell.
Authorities said that hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed.
Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier this year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns. The fire is the most deadly in Hong Kong in years.
