Hong Kong building fire, Tai Po blaze fire news: The blaze, which broke out in the afternoon, was quickly upgraded to a No. 4 alarm — the second-highest alert level — as firefighters battled fast-spreading flames engulfing the building’s exterior.
At least 12 people were killed, and several others were trapped after a massive fire tore through the bamboo scaffolding of a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district Wednesday, sending up towering flames and thick black smoke, South China Morning Post reported.
The blaze, which broke out in the afternoon, was quickly upgraded to a No. 4 alarm, the second-highest alert level, as firefighters battled fast-spreading flames engulfing the building’s exterior. Live footage showed an intense, rapid burn consuming the scaffolding, AP reported.
Video from the scene showed at least five adjacent towers ablaze, with fierce flames and thick smoke pouring out of multiple windows as firefighters battled the inferno from ladder trucks. The fire spread rapidly across bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been erected around the complex in Tai Po district in the New Territories.
Government records indicate the estate consists of eight residential blocks with nearly 2,000 flats housing about 4,800 people.
Tai Po, located in Hong Kong’s New Territories near the border with Shenzhen, is densely populated and dotted with high-rise housing blocks, raising concerns about the fire’s potential reach.
Fire Services officials said efforts to rescue the trapped residents and contain the blaze were underway. Further details were awaited at the time of reporting.
Temporary shelters have been opened for residents left homeless. One man, giving his surname as Wu, told TVB he felt helpless watching his home burn. “I’ve given up thinking about my property. Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.”
