Residents say fire spread so quickly loved ones had ‘no chance’ to escape Hong Kong towers
A heartbroken resident has shown an image of how quickly flames spread in the Hong Kong high-rise disaster as authorities provided a grim update on the death toll.
Residents trapped in burning high-rise towers had “no chance” of escaping as units were inundated by smoke within 10 minutes of the blaze starting, one local claims, as firefighters and rescue crews search through units for survivors on day three.
The death toll of the housing complex inferno in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has claimed 94 lives as of Friday morning, while 155 were injured, including 11 firefighters.
A baby is reported among the deaths.
Of those injured, 76 were taken to hospitals across the district suffering smoke inhalation and varying degrees of burns. At least 20 victims have been discharged so far.
Some 250 residents from young to old remain missing.
Bodies of victims continue to be removed from the charred apartments on Friday and are being transported to the morgue.
Firefighters have rescued 55 people, including one elderly man aged in his 70s from the top floor of one of the buildings, while another man was found on the 16th floor stairway, giving hope to loved ones that some may still be found alive in coming hours.
But one resident believes many unaccounted for likely did not survive the deadliest fire the city has seen in almost eight decades due to how quickly the flames spread.
“How can it be in 10 minutes that my apartment was filled with smoke? The CCTV footage … 10 minutes and this is what it looked like,” he told reporters in tears.
“How can you tell people to leave?”
The still image showed the inside of his dark unit filled with thick smoke.
“They were doing renovations, how does this happen?” he continued.
“Everyone, have a look. It was 10 minutes and these were the conditions. There was no way anyone could evacuate. They basically all cooked to death.”
Another man beside him said his wife and pet cat are still missing.
She had rung him on Wednesday just before 3pm to say there was a fire at home.
He quickly left the office and arrived at the bottom of the housing complex by 3.30pm to find huge flames burning multiple high-rise buildings.
“I ran in and I begged the firefighters more than 10 times to go save people, my family. They still haven’t been found,” he told the media.
“The living room was filled with smoke and she said she could not deal with it and might faint. I believe she did pass out.”
One bank worker said her mum, who has health issues, was also trapped.
“I heard from residents who said once the fire started there was a lot of smoke. So my mother was forced back into her apartment,” she said.
“She went to her next door neighbour’s place to shelter with them … but she was in a rush to leave and forgot to get her phone so I have no way to contact her.
“Electricity and water have been switched off. We’re all so worried. We have no other option but to wait for news.”
The bank worker questioned why the government did not use waterbombing helicopters to help put out the fire, which had spread from one tower to another.
Another clip shared on Thursday appeared to show the moment the flames burning on the ground floor of one of the buildings.
It quickly ignited the green mesh and bamboo scaffolding that wrapped the outside of the high-rises, triggering a level five alarm, the most severe rating.
All eight towers have been under major renovations since July 2024.
Rescue operation continues
At least 26 rescue crews are working through the residential complex to find any survivors. The exact number of missing people will be tallied after the operation.
In an update late Thursday night, Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of fire services in operations, said they received 25 calls for help, three within the last few hours.
Fire crews continued to spray water due to multiple reignitions and explosions in order to lower the temperature before they break into the home to help residents.
Mr Chan said firefighters were met with challenging conditions from the quick spread of the flames and falling scaffolding debris that blocked them from reaching the top floors of towers, as well as emergency vehicles from accessing the site.
Three men – two directors and one engineering consultant – from a construction company have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, police said.
Footage showed the trio covered in black hoods and led away by officers.
Detectives seized boxes bidding documents, a list of employees, 14 computers and three mobile phones from Prestige Construction and Engineering Company Limited.
Hundreds of residents have spent the last two nights in either emergency shelters set up by the government or sleeping along an underpass watching the towers burn.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said the government will set up a HK$300 million (A$59 million) fund to help those who have been impacted.
The tight housing complex in Tai Po, located in New Territories and near mainland China, comprised of eight towers with a total of 2000 units.
It is understood some 4600 residents lived in the high-rises.
Clothing, food and other essentials have been rushed by cars and even bikes into ground zero and to shelters to assist residents who have nothing left.
There are also calls to donate water and food to firefighters who have not eaten for hours.
At one point, a human chain were seen carrying supplies from one area to another near Tai Po Market MTR Station, photos showed.
“I feel the passion and the heart of Hong Kong people. Whatever we need, it will come, no matter if it is people, money, supplies or even just emotional support,” volunteer Lista Ho told South China Morning Post.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) has pledged to donate $20 million (A$4 million) towards emergency relief.
Hong Kong Jockey Club said it will contribute $100 million (A$20 million) to victims.
Immediate funds of $150,000 ($A29,500) will be given to families of those who died, $100,000 ($A19,600) to those seriously injured and $50,000 ($A9800) for those at hospitals in a stable condition.
Many other companies are also pledging millions of dollars to relief.
One hotel has offered 160 rooms at no cost to victims with nowhere to go.
The investigation into the deadly inferno is in its infancy, but police suspect the construction company was at fault due to “gross negligence”.
Senior Superintendent of Police Eileen Chung said officers searched a tower that was not impacted and found “every floor” had protective nets, film and styrofoam which sealed the windows. She flagged the materials did not meet Hong Kong’s safety standards.
Investigators suspect that accelerated the pace of the fire, but could not confirm the theory until they could go into the towers.
An investigation into what caused the fire will begin after the rescue operation.
Originally published as Residents say fire spread so quickly loved ones had ‘no chance’ to escape Hong Kong towers
