Thirteen people, including eight women, three men and a firefighter, died and at least 16 others were seriously injured in the raging fire that devastated Hong Kong’s Tai Po district. The South China Morning Post reports it. Flames engulfed bamboo scaffolding in all eight blocks of an apartment complex. There would be numerous other residents trapped inside.
According to the sources cited by the newspaper, among the victims there were at least eight women and three men. Huge columns of dark smoke rose into the sky at the scene of the accident at Wang Fuk Court, and flames quickly spread to at least four blocks in the area and eventually spread to the entire outbreak.
At least 13 people are still trapped in the fire, including eight elderly people and 2 children. The South China Morning Post always reports this, quoting former district councilor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho.
According to Tai Po district councilor Berry Mui Siu-fong, all the blocks are on fire, only one is under control and the fire has also spread to the apartments.
Residents: ‘The fire alarms didn’t go off’
According to residents, the fire alarms did not go off before the fire broke out in several buildings of a residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, even though the structures were equipped with them. The South China Moring Post reports this, citing people who were present at the time of the incident, such as Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old pensioner who lives in the community.
“If anyone was sleeping at the time, they were done for,” he explained, adding that the residents had to flee on their own. Former district councilor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho told the South China Moring Post that residents say the alarms did not go off, even after they smelled something burning, and that they were only alerted when a security guard knocked on their doors, leaving them little time to evacuate.