Overview of the apartment fire in Hong Kong, many casualties

At least 13 people were killed and many others injured in a fire at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong (China).

The South China Morning Post reported that a fire broke out at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, which includes eight buildings in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on the afternoon of November 26. The source said that while cycling, a resident in the neighborhood discovered that the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the exterior of a building in the complex was on fire at around 2 p.m. and immediately called the police. Photo: SCMP.

The fire spread rapidly. The fire was raised to level 4 at 3:34 p.m. and to level 5 – the highest level in Hong Kong – at 6:22 p.m. Images from the scene showed flames engulfing several floors of apartment buildings, creating large columns of black smoke. Photo: SCMP.

A total of 128 fire engines, 57 ambulances, 767 firefighters and 400 police officers were deployed to extinguish the raging fire at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex. Photo: SCMP.

Mr Chan, deputy director of the Fire Department, said the high temperatures inside the burning buildings were making it difficult to extinguish the fire. “Debris and scaffolding from the affected buildings fell down, posing an additional danger to firefighters. Moreover, the temperature inside the building was very high, making it difficult to enter the building and go to the upper floors to carry out firefighting and rescue work,” he said. Photo: SCMP.

As firefighters battled the blaze, a loud explosion could be heard from a high-rise apartment in the Wang Tao building. Despite this, firefighters continued to work hard to extinguish the fire. Photo: EPA.

As of the evening of November 26, at least 13 people were confirmed dead, including one firefighter, and 28 others were injured in the fire. It is known that 6 victims are in critical condition. Photo: SCMP.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has activated the emergency monitoring and support centre to receive information related to this tragedy. Photo: SCMP.

Many people have been evacuated and are staying in temporary shelters. Photo: SCMP.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire. Photo: SCMP.

Firefighting and rescue operations continue. Photo: SCMP.

>>> Readers are invited to watch a video about the apartment fire in Hong Kong (Video source: Bloomberg Television)

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