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After the fire, about 900 people have left their homes and gone to temporary shelters.
A fire broke out in a large residential complex in an area named Tai Po in Hong Kong on Wednesday. So far 44 people have died in this accident, while 279 are injured.
This complex had a total of eight buildings, each building having 35 floors. It had about two thousand apartments. These towers of Wang Phuc Court were covered with bamboo scaffolding.
The fire started from these scaffoldings installed outside the buildings, on which repair work was going on. Due to strong wind and burning debris, the flames spread from one building to another.
See the fire in the complex in 20 pictures…
This fire spread so fast that many buildings got affected by it. It is believed to be the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in the last several decades.
This complex had a total of eight buildings, which had about two thousand apartments.
Due to strong wind and burning debris, the flames spread from one building to another. When the fire broke out, many people did not even notice it because the windows were closed due to repair work.
Many elderly people could not get out in time. A resident who has been living there for 40 years said that many of his neighbors are elderly and could not leave quickly.
The crackling of burning bamboo could be heard from a distance. The team that came to extinguish the fire also had to face a lot of problems.
The temperature on many floors was so high that firefighters were not able to reach those places. During this time a firefighter also died.
Police are still trying to find out how many people are missing and how many have been evacuated safely.
Police have also arrested three people, who are suspected of negligence or culpable homicide in the fire case.
Police did not say what these people were accused of. Detailed information about these has not been given.
One woman said that seeing all this breaks her heart and she just wants everyone to return home safely. Many people are trapped in their homes and are afraid to come out, because the fire has not been completely controlled.
Many nearby buildings are also being evacuated and nearby roads have been closed.
The Hong Kong government has said that temporary shelters have been opened following the fire at the Wang Fuk Court complex. These shelters have been built at Kwong Fuk Community Hall and Tung Cheong Street Leisure Building.
The footage obtained from the spot shows that the bamboo scaffolding installed outside several flats of the building is engulfed in flames.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. However, many people living there suspect that the fire might have been caused by a cigarette.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed grief over this incident and said that all the affected families should be helped and the damage should be reduced as much as possible.
Rescue workers trying to extinguish the fire. The fire has not been completely controlled yet.
The fire in Tai Po has now been upgraded to Level 5, the most serious category of fire in Hong Kong.
Seeing the plume of smoke rising amidst the flames, the person started crying.
Earlier, such accidents used to happen a lot in Hong Kong, but security has increased a lot in the last several years, so such incidents are less common now.
The fire department deployed more than 200 fire engines and around 100 ambulances.
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Fire in 8 buildings with 35 floors in Hong Kong: 36 dead, 257 missing; The fire spread rapidly due to bamboo scaffolding.
A fire broke out in a 35-storey residential complex in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday. According to South China Morning Post, 36 people have died in this accident. Meanwhile, 15 people are injured. Apart from this, 257 people are missing. Read the full news…
