No fewer than four people have died and others remain trapped after a massive fire engulfed multiple high-rise towers of a residential complex in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday (Nov 26).
Authorities said Firefighters continued to battle the blaze as dusk fell, with thick black smoke billowing from the 31-storey towers, home to 2,000 residential apartments.
Two people are in critical condition, having suffered burns, the government said, while others, including some fire services staff, have also been injured.
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The fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court, 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.
Local television broadcaster TVB said the complex was undergoing major renovations. Wang Fuk Court is a complex under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme. It has been occupied since 1983, according to the property’s website.
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
