At least 65 people have died and more than 250 remain unaccounted for after Hong Kong’s worst fire in nearly 80 years swept through an eight-building apartment complex. Police displayed photographs of the deceased at a community centre to help families and friends identify victims.

Survivors and relatives described their experiences

How did the fire spread so quickly?

Wong Sik-kam said the blaze began in mesh-covered bamboo scaffolding before leaping from block to block, carried by strong winds. He explained that the fire started from the sixth block and then moved to the fifth and fourth blocks.

He added that the third block was attached to the first and second blocks, and once the third block caught fire there was no possibility of the other two escaping the flames. Only the eighth block remained untouched. He said residents of the eighth block were considered lucky.

Wong’s own apartment in the third block was destroyed. His son, a firefighter, was on duty and had warned him to leave. Wong said he initially assumed it was a normal fire that would be extinguished quickly, but he soon realised the scale when he saw firefighters rescuing residents from neighbouring blocks.

He went door to door telling people to evacuate and said they took the stairs rather than the lift because this was common sense. When they reached the ground floor, many residents were already gathered outside.

A shuttle bus moved people to a nearby shelter while police cleared the area. Wong said residents feared being too close because the scaffolding might collapse. He added that his son had been attempting to rescue people on higher floors and had told him that more than 100 people may have died there.

According to Wong, many elderly residents who did not escape had likely suffocated due to the intense heat. He said his son told him that bodies would be brought down but the exact number was still unknown.

Wong said he urged his son to stay safe because the fire had burned throughout the night and the building’s structure might not be stable.

He spent the night at a community centre. He said he slept only two to three hours because the bright lights made it difficult to rest. He described feeling deeply unhappy and broke down in tears.

What did long-time residents experience?

Kwong Pui-lun, who has lived in the estate for 41 years, said he normally went downstairs for a stroll at around 2 pm each day. On the day of the fire, he stepped outside and immediately saw smoke. He rushed back to warn his neighbours, telling them to take the stairs. He said they went down together so that no one would feel afraid.

Kwong said he and his wife left most of their possessions behind but managed to take his wallet and bag. When they reached the outside area, fire services and ambulances had not yet arrived. He said they had been faster than the emergency responders. After crossing the street to the community centre, the rescue vehicles began arriving in a hurry.

He said some residents were frightened and he helped push wheelchairs and assisted those with mobility issues. He described the centre as becoming chaotic within two or three hours, suggesting that many people did not know how to respond in the midst of such a disaster and that it may have been their first experience of an emergency of this scale.

Social workers distributed medicines collected from hospitals to older residents and reminded them to take their doses. Kwong praised their efforts and said they were doing a very good job. He said he still felt unsettled and had barely slept.

When he went back to look at the estate in the morning, the buildings were still smouldering and only a few streams of water were being directed at the fire. He questioned why it continued to burn.

Kwong said many of his friends were missing. He explained that they had informed the police and hoped that those who were unaccounted for would make contact. Friends and relatives had offered him and his wife a place to stay so they would not need to sleep at the community centre. He became emotional as he said people had shown great care towards them and had invited them to stay in their homes.

What are families of the missing facing?

A woman identified only by her surname, Cheung, said her sister and brother-in-law were missing. She viewed the photographs of bodies displayed at the community centre, which police hoped would help in identifying victims. She said that if faces were unrecognisable, personal items had been included to assist families.

Cheung explained that the photos were categorised by gender and that most images were clear although some appeared darker. She said she could not find her relatives in the photographs and planned to return if more images were posted. She said she was unable to describe her feelings and mentioned that children were among the victims, which left her voice breaking.

Cheung said she had tried calling her relatives but the calls went to voicemail. She added that this was because they lived in the first building that caught fire and that her sister’s apartment was on the 23rd floor.

AFP inputs