At least 36 people were killed by a massive fire Wednesday that engulfed a high-rise housing complex in Hong Kong, city leader John Lee said. Another 279 people were reported missing.
Lee also said 29 people remained hospitalized. He added that the fire was “coming under control” shortly past midnight.
Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung said a firefighter is among the dead. In a press release, Yeung said the 37-year-old had been a firefighter for nine years. “All of our colleagues are deeply saddened by the loss of such a devoted comrade,” he added.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed condolences to the firefighter who died and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged efforts to minimize casualties and losses.
Reuters 
The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread on bamboo scaffolding that had been set up around the exterior of the complex in the city’s Tai Po district. Live video from the scene showed firefighters aiming water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks as the dusk skies darkened, with smoke billowing from windows and red-hot embers falling to the ground.
Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. It was not immediately known how the fire started, but officials said the flames started at the external scaffolding of one of the buildings, a 32-story tower, and later spread to inside the building and then to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.
The blaze was first reported in the mid-afternoon and was upgraded by nightfall to a level 5 alarm, the highest level of severity, the Fire Services Department said.
Yan Zhao/AFP via Getty Images 
Police have said they received multiple reports of people trapped in the affected buildings. Records show the housing complex consisted of eight blocks with almost 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 people.
Lo Hiu-fung, a Tai Po District Council member, told local TV station TVB earlier Wednesday that most of the residents trapped in the fire were believed to be elderly people.
“Nearby residents please stay indoors and close doors and windows and stay calm and avoid going to areas affected by fire incidents,” the Hong Kong Fire Services Department wrote on Facebook.
Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.
