At least 13 dead as major fire breaks out in northern HK housing estate

The fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po district in the New Territories and was upgraded to a No 5 alarm at 6:22 pm on Wednesday. At least thirteen people are reported to have perished in the blaze, with more residents still trapped in their homes.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu expressed the deepest sorrow on his social media page to the families of the deceased and the injured, including the firefighter who died in the line of duty.

The fire department authorities said in a press conference that, as of 8:15 pm, the department dispatched 760 personnel for the rescue operations. They treated 28 injured individuals, of whom 9 died at the scene, 6 were seriously injured, and 4 later died in the hospital. During the fire, one firefighter suffered a left leg injury, another experienced heat exhaustion, and one firefighter died.

The incident involves seven buildings, with a senior fire chief assigned to each one to lead a team in handling the situation. A total of seven steel ladder trucks were dispatched to spray water on the structures from the outside.

The authorities estimated that the fire spread to seven buildings due to strong winds and debris from the burning bamboo shed. The temperature on site is extremely high, which presents challenges for the firefighters in entering the buildings, and some floors remain unreachable.