Three arrested in Hong Kong as fire leaves 44 dead | World | News
The deadliest fire in recent years in Hong Kong continued throughout the night, killing at least 44 people and reporting 279 people missing. Rescue teams are still pulling residents out of burning high-rise apartments until the morning.
Various local media outlets reported that police arrested three people on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with a fire that started Wednesday afternoon at a public housing complex in the Tai Po district, a suburb of the New Territories.
As of Thursday morning local time, the fire had not yet been extinguished and rescue efforts continued, bringing the death toll to 44. Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread to seven of the eight buildings in the complex.
At least 29 people remained in hospital. Bright flames and smoke billowed from the windows as night fell.
Officials have previously said that because it is unusual for the fire to spread quickly, inspectors will look into factors such as whether the material on the exterior walls of high-rise buildings meets fire resistance standards.
The fire started on the exterior scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-story tower, and then spread inside the building and then to nearby buildings, possibly aided by windy conditions, officials said.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday offered his condolences to a deceased firefighter and offered condolences to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
He also called for efforts to minimize loss of life and property. The fire at the three buildings was “contained” shortly after midnight, according to the Department of Fire Services.
The residential complex consisted of eight buildings with approximately 2,000 apartments, housing approximately 4,800 residents, including mostly elderly people.
It was built in the 1980s and was recently undergoing a major renovation. Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to conduct rescue operations.
As the fire spread rapidly through the bamboo scaffolding and construction nets installed on the exterior of the buildings, a column of flames and dense smoke rose.
Approximately 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Officials said hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics were deployed.
Fire crews sprayed water on the intense flames from above with ladder trucks.
The fire, which started in the afternoon, was raised to level five alert (the highest level of severity) by nightfall.
Conditions remain extremely challenging for firefighters, officials said.
“The debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings are being destroyed,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of fire operations.
“The temperature inside the relevant buildings is very high. It is difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to carry out fire fighting and rescue operations.”
The fire department said it had received “numerous” calls asking for help and some residents were stranded as of Wednesday night.
Fire crews sent more than 140 fire trucks and more than 60 ambulances to the scene.
Fire Chief Andy Yeung said that a 37-year-old firefighter was among the dead, while another was treated for heat exhaustion.
District authorities in Tai Po opened temporary shelters for people left homeless by the fire.
“I’ve given up thinking about my property,” one resident, who gave only his surname Wu, told local television station TVB.
“It was really frustrating to watch him burn like that.”
Tai Po is a suburban district in the New Territories, in the northern part of Hong Kong and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in building construction and renovation projects in Hong Kong, but the government said earlier this year it would begin phasing it out in public projects due to safety concerns.
The fire was the deadliest fire in recent years in Hong Kong.
In November 1996, 41 people died in a level five fire at a commercial building in Kowloon that lasted about 20 hours.
