A spectacular fire in a high-rise apartment building complex killed at least 36 and left more than 200 missing on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. Nine people were declared dead at the scene, and four others later died at a hospital.
One of those killed was a firefighter, AP reports. Authorities say at least 29 more remain injured, and about 700 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters.
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The fire quickly spread along bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that was set up around the exterior of the complex. Video shows numerous buildings ablaze, with smoke and flames coming out of apartment windows.
The complex occupies eight blocks in the Tai Po district, with nearly 2,000 apartments housing about 5,800 people.
What officials are saying
Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department said hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics responded to the blaze, which began after nightfall. The fire was upgraded to a level 5 alarm, the highest level of severity.
Authorities said the conditions were very challenging for firefighters, specifically high temperatures and falling scaffolding.
“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings are falling down,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Services (Operations). “The temperature inside the buildings concerned (is) very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.”
What caused the fire is still unclear, but officials said it began at the external scaffolding and spread inside, likely due to windy conditions.
Bamboo scaffolding is commonly used in Hong Kong, but the government announced earlier this year that it would phase it out because of safety concerns.
