Hong Kong fire as it happened: Tai Po apartment blaze continues to burn; three men arrested believed to have been ‘grossly negligent’ as death toll rises, hundreds still missing

Thank you for following our live coverage of this deadly Hong Kong apartment fire. This is where we’ll end today’s coverage and will be back tomorrow to bring you the latest developments.

To conclude, here’s a look back at what we know about this tragedy so far:

• At least 55 people died after a fire at an apartment complex in Hong Kong’s north.
• Seven of eight high-rises at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate were engulfed in flames.
• Fires in four buildings were extinguished, while blazes in three other towers were under control after they started more than a day ago.
• Hong Kong officials previously said 279 people were unaccounted for, but it is not clear how many remain missing.

A man, who said his wife was trapped inside one of the buildings, is pictured amid the catastrophe.Credit: Reuters

• Police arrested three people from an engineering firm on suspicion of manslaughter.
• Investigators were still determining what sparked the blaze, but were examining whether bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh wrapped around parts of the buildings helped the flames spread.
• China’s President Xi Jinping asked local governments to aid Hong Kong in the rescue mission, and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.
• Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it did not believe any Australians were caught in the fire – the deadliest on the densely populated peninsula in more than seven decades.

As the investigation into the fire gets under way, an Australian fire safety expert has described the manner in which the blaze spread from building to building as “quite shocking”, as regulations in general require buildings to be spaced apart to keep fires from spreading in such a way.

“Typically, they don’t spread beyond the building of origin,” said Alex Webb, a fire safety engineer at CSIRO Infrastructure Technologies in Australia, saying materials police said they found on site could explain why the fires spread.

Authorities suspect some materials on the exterior walls of the 32-storey buildings did not meet fire-resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

Police have said they found highly flammable Styrofoam attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower. It was believed to have been installed by the construction company, but the purpose was not clear. Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang has said the materials would be investigated further.

AP

Hongkongers have been left devastated after fire ripped through seven high-rises in the city’s north.

A 51-year-old apartment resident with the surname Wan told Reuters recently: “We bought in this building more than 20 years ago. All of our belongings were in this building, and now that it has all burnt like this, what’s left? There’s nothing left. What are we supposed to do?”

A 52-year-old woman was distraught as she searched for her daughter outside a shelter.

“She and her father are still not out yet. They didn’t have water to save our building,” Ng sobbed, carrying her daughter’s graduation photo.

A resident rests at a temporary shelter near the fire scene at Wang Fuk Court.Credit: AP

Indonesia’s foreign ministry said today that two Indonesian migrant workers “in the domestic sector” died in the fire and two others were injured.

Reuters

Speaking at a press conference moments ago, Hong Kong fire authorities said 304 fire engines and ambulances and more than 1200 rescue personnel were involved in the Wang Fuk Court firefighting operation.

Deputy Director of Fire Services Wong Ka-wing said high temperatures and the massive number of people trapped in multiple apartments made the rescue very challenging.

An elderly man was rescued alive from the 31st floor of one tower block about 11am today, he added.

“Our major focus now is to try to save as many lives as possible,” he said. “However, we have formed an investigation team to look into allegations that the fire alarm was malfunctioning at the buildings.”

The death toll from the Tai Po apartment complex fire has increased to 55, officials in Hong Kong just confirmed.

The South China Morning Post reported that 51 people died at the scene, while the remaining four died in hospital.

Officials said 279 missing person cases had been “attended to” but did not disclose their current status.

With AP

Hong Kong firefighters say the catastrophic blazes that engulfed seven high-rise towers in Tai Po district are now under control.

The South China Morning Post just reported that four fires were extinguished, while three blazes still burn in a controlled manner.

The gutted high-rises in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon.Credit: Getty Images

Officials just held a press conference at the scene.

We’ll bring you the latest on that once we translate and confirm details.

It’s almost 3pm in Hong Kong.

Here are the latest photos from the scene of the deadly apartment complex fire that started one day ago:

People watch residential buildings that continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court on Thursday afternoon.Credit: Getty Images

A woman cries near the scene in Hong Kong.Credit: Getty Images

A man carries bedding for those displaced by the Hong Kong fire.Credit: Getty Images

Firefighters in the Tai Po district on Thursday.Credit: Getty Images

Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has urged residents to come together to help those affected by the deadly Wang Fuk Court housing estate fire.

John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, at a summit earlier this month.Credit: Bloomberg

In a statement published on social media in the last hour, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, according to an online translation, said:

I held an inter-agency meeting this morning to co-ordinate all policy bureaus and departments to fully follow up on the Tai Po fire response, and to listen to a briefing from all the secretaries on the follow-up work and the latest progress in their areas. The government will continue to make every effort to fight the fire, rescue the trapped residents and treat the injured, and provide full support to the families of the deceased, the injured and the affected residents.

The government will make every effort to provide temporary accommodation to the affected families and has arranged enough social workers to provide appropriate support to the affected families and those in need, and will arrange for financial assistance as soon as possible to follow up the related aftercare arrangements. In addition, the government has arranged immediate inspection of all housing estates undergoing major repairs in Hong Kong to check the safety of scaffolding and building materials.

I am grateful to all the fire, police, medical and frontline personnel who have been working on the rescue. The tragic loss of firemen is a great loss to us, and the government will give full support to the families of the colleagues who died in the line of duty, as well as the injured colleagues and their families.

Fire is ruthless, [and] let us realise the impermanence of life. We are going through this collective pain, and in this difficult time, we need to be strong and share the hard times. The government will do its best to provide support and assistance, and all sectors of the community will demonstrate selfless mutual assistance, whether it be free pick-up or donation, the glory of humanity [is] everywhere. The government will stand united with all Hong Kong people, and we are confident that we will be able to get through this together.′

Hong Kong chief executive John Lee has ordered immediate inspections of all housing estates across the city that are currently undergoing major maintenance work as the devastating Tai Po apartment blaze continues to burn.

The South China Morning Post just reported that Lee issued the edict at an interdepartmental meeting of government agencies this morning.

Firefighters hose down a smouldering residential building at the Wang Fuk Court.Credit: Bloomberg

Investigators are still determining what sparked the Tai Po inferno, but police have said it may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction firm using unsafe materials.

Eileen Chung, a Hong Kong police superintendent, earlier said three men from the construction company have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire.

Reuters reports that firefighters are still struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to intense heat and thick smoke, almost 24 hours after the blaze started.

This masthead’s North Asia correspondent Lisa Visentin is on the ground in Hong Kong.

She filed this update recently: