HONG KONG — Fire tore through seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, killing 13 people and leaving others trapped, the city’s Fire Services Department said Wednesday.
Authorities said nine victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while four others died after being taken to the hospital. At least 15 others were injured. The dead included one firefighter, and another is being treated for heat exhaustion, Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung said.
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The blaze sent a towering column of flames and thick smoke into the sky as it raced along bamboo scaffolding and construction netting wrapped around the exterior of the Tai Po housing complex in the New Territories, the Associated Press reported. Records show the complex includes eight blocks with nearly 2,000 apartments, home to about 4,800 residents.
The fire broke out in the afternoon and was later raised to a five-alarm blaze, the highest severity level, as it continued burning late into the night, the Fire Services Department said. District councilor Lo Hiu-fung told TVB that many of the residents believed to be trapped were elderly.
