Death toll rises to 13 in massive Hong Kong high-rise fire PHOTO/VIDEO/UPDATED

Thirteen people, including a firefighter, have been confirmed dead and at least 15 others are in critical condition after a major fire tore through a housing estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, authorities said.

The blaze erupted at Wang Fuk Court and rapidly spread across bamboo scaffolding surrounding the buildings, affecting seven of the estate’s eight blocks. Thick black smoke rose high above the area as firefighters battled the flames and worked to rescue residents trapped inside, SCMP reports. 

Police said they received numerous calls from people unable to escape the building where the fire began, with initial reports indicating that a man and a woman were found unconscious and suffering from burns.

The fire, first classified as a No. 1 alarm incident, was quickly escalated to No. 4 by midafternoon and then to the highest-level No. 5 alarm at 6:22 p.m., marking it the first No 5 alarm fire in 17 years. 

The last time Hong Kong experienced a No 5 alarm fire was the Cornwall Court blaze in 2008. The fire, which started in a karaoke bar and nightclub in Mong Kok, killed four people, including two firefighters, and injured 55 people.

Footage from the scene showed scaffolding outside several flats engulfed in flames, with pieces of burning mesh falling to the ground as emergency teams worked to contain the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Four people were killed and several others injured after a major fire broke out at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26, authorities said.

The Fire Services Department confirmed four fatalities and three people injured in the incident. Police had earlier said eight victims, though the reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The blaze, which erupted in the midafternoon, quickly intensified and was upgraded to a No. 4 alarm — Hong Kong’s second-highest classification for fire severity. Flames and thick black smoke were seen engulfing bamboo scaffolding that surrounded the building’s exterior. Live footage showed firefighters using ladder trucks to battle the fire from above.

Emergency services said they received multiple calls from residents trapped inside the affected buildings as the fire spread rapidly.

Records show the housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 people.

Tai Po is a suburban area in Hong Kong’s New Territories, close to the border with mainland China’s Shenzhen. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

By Sabina Mammadli