HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s deadliest fireplace in years blazed late into the night time on Wednesday as town’s chief confirmed no less than 36 individuals, together with a firefighter, had died and one other 279 individuals have been reported lacking.
Tons of of residents have been evacuated because the blaze unfold throughout seven high-rise condominium buildings in a housing advanced in Tai Po district, a suburb within the New Territories. Not less than 29 others remained hospitalized.
“Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire,” John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief govt, mentioned.
He mentioned the fireplace was “coming under control” shortly previous midnight.
Chinese language chief Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and prolonged sympathies to the households of the victims, in accordance with state broadcaster CCTV. He additionally urged efforts to attenuate casualties and losses.
The housing advanced consisted of eight buildings with nearly 2,000 flats housing about 4,800 residents, together with many aged individuals. The housing advanced was constructed within the Eighties and has lately been present process a significant renovation.
Fireplace chiefs mentioned excessive temperatures on the scene made it troublesome for crews to mount rescue operations. It was not instantly recognized how the fireplace began, however officers mentioned the fireplace began on the exterior scaffolding of one of many buildings, a 32-storey tower, and later unfold to contained in the constructing after which to close by buildings, probably aided by windy circumstances.
A column of flames and thick smoke rose because the blaze unfold shortly on bamboo scaffolding and building netting that had been arrange across the exterior of the buildings. About 900 individuals have been evacuated to short-term shelters.
A number of buildings shut to one another have been set ablaze, with shiny flames and smoke capturing out of home windows as night time fell. Authorities mentioned that a whole lot of firefighters, cops and paramedics have been deployed. Firefighters aimed water on the intense flames from excessive up on ladder vans.
The blaze, which began mid-afternoon, was upgraded a degree 5 alarm — the best degree of severity — as night time fell. Authorities mentioned that circumstances remained very difficult for firefighters.
“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings (is) falling down,” mentioned Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fireplace Service 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.”
TOMMY WANG by way of Getty Photos
The fireplace division mentioned that it acquired “numerous” calls requesting help. It mentioned some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night time.
Firefighters deployed greater than 140 fireplace vans and greater than 60 ambulances to the scene.
The useless included a 37-year-old firefighter, whereas one other acquired therapy for warmth exhaustion, Director of Fireplace Companies Andy Yeung mentioned.
District officers in Tai Po have opened short-term shelters for individuals left homeless by the fireplace.
“I’ve given up thinking about my property,” a resident who solely supplied her surname, Wu, instructed native TV station TVB. “Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.”
Tai Po is a suburban space within the New Territories, within the northern a part of Hong Kong and close to the border with the mainland Chinese language metropolis of Shenzhen.
Bamboo scaffolding is a typical sight in Hong Kong at constructing building and renovation tasks, although the federal government mentioned earlier this yr that it might begin phasing it out for public tasks due to security considerations.
The fireplace is the deadliest in Hong Kong in years. In November 1996, 41 individuals died in a industrial constructing in Kowloon in a degree 5 fireplace that lasted for round 20 hours.
Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Researcher Chen Shihuan contributed to this report.
