At least 13 dead as fire engulfs high-rise buildings in Hong Kong

A fire spread across multiple high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex on Wednesday, killing 13 people and leaving others trapped inside, authorities said.

Video from the scene showed at least five buildings close to each other ablaze, with flames coming out of many of the apartments’ windows. Firefighters battled the fire as dusk fell, with thick black smoke billowing from the 31-storey towers and orange flames lighting up the night sky. The Wang Fuk Court housing complex, where the fire started, is home to 2,000 residential apartments.

The fire services department said it does not yet have a figure for the number of people who may still be inside.

One resident surnamed Wong, 71, broke down in tears, saying his wife was trapped inside one of the buildings. Three people are in critical condition having suffered burns and one is in serious condition, the government said, while others including some fire services staff have also been injured.

Flames engulf scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong. Phototraph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Smoke rises at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong. Photograph: Chan Long Hei/AP

People gathered on a nearby overhead walkway, watching in dismay as smoke billowed from the buildings, some of which were clad in bamboo scaffolding, with local media reporting the units were under renovation.

Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the complex, according to witnesses.

Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with a population of about 300,000.

Fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong. Photograph: Tommy Wang/AFP/Getty Images

A person watches an apartment fire in Tai Po in Hong Kong. Photograph: EPA

The complex is under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme. It has been occupied since 1983, according to property agency websites.

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction. The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety.

It announced that 50 per cent of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.

The fire department said it received reports at 2:51pm (6.51am Irish time) that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court. It was later upgraded to a “No. 5 alarm”, the highest.

Hong Kong’s transport department said that due to the fire an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways, has been closed and buses are being diverted.

Five people died after a fire broke out in a densely populated residential building in Hong Kong’s bustling Kowloon district in April last year. - Reuters