Zürcher Nachrichten - Over 250 missing after Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades

Over 24 hours after fire broke out in the eight-building housing estate with 2,000 units, flames were still visible in some windows as crews sprayed water on the blackened exteriors.

Authorities have begun investigating what sparked the disastrous blaze, including the presence of bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the structures as part of construction work.

Hong Kong's anti-corruption body said it has launched a probe into renovation work at a housing complex, hours after police said they arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site.

The intense flames in four of the eight apartment blocks were finally extinguished and the fires in three others were under control, officials said Thursday afternoon. One building was not affected.

Multiple residents of Wang Fuk Court, located in Hong Kong's northern district of Tai Po, told AFP that they did not hear any fire alarm and had to go door-to-door to alert neighbours to the danger.

"The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow," said a man surnamed Suen.

"Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave -- that's what the situation was like," added.

Crowds moved by the tragedy gathered near the complex to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort in a city that has some of the world's most densely populated and tallest residential blocks.

"It's truly touching. The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support... It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love," said Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station.

But the toll continues to increase and fire service officials told reporters that 51 victims lost their lives at the scene, while four died in hospital.

Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major works following the disaster, the city's leader John Lee said.

- Dozens in hospital -

Another displaced resident, Wong Sik-kam, recalled how his son was one of the firefighters dispatched to the scene.

"My son called me and told me about the fire... I thought it was just a normal fire, like a kitchen accident that would be put out. Who knew it would get so bad?" Wong said.

Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues, according to the fire service director Andy Yeung.

A government spokesman told AFP that 61 people were being treated in hospital. Fifteen were in a critical condition, 27 in a serious condition and 19 were stable.

City leader Lee said in the early hours of Thursday that 279 were unaccounted for, though firefighters said later that they had established contact with some of those people. Authorities have not updated the figure since.

Lee said more than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters overnight.

The Indonesian consulate said around noon that two of the deceased were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers.

- 'Unable to reach people' -

On Wednesday night, sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning blocks and flames could be seen inside apartments, sometimes belching out through windows into the night sky, casting an eerie orange glow on surrounding buildings.

"The temperature at the scene is very high and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying," said Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fire service operations.

He said the wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another, although he added that authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, including "the firefighter who died in the line of duty", according to state media.

Lee said he was "deeply saddened" and that all government departments were assisting residents affected by the fire.

On Thursday afternoon, some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes.

Volunteers distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall, while a few people gave out flyers with information about missing people.

Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighbourhoods.

However, safety measures have been ramped up in recent decades and such fires have become much less commonplace.

B.Brunner--NZN