Death toll rises to 83 as blaze rips through Hong Kong tower complex

Firefighters are battling one of Hong Kong's deadliest blazes for a second day on Thursday, fighting to control the fire that blackened several high-rise towers and killed at least 83 people.

Thick smoke continued to pour out of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland, on Thursday morning.

The fire that started on Wednesday afternoon local time had spread across seven of the complex's eight buildings. The city’s fire services said that the blazes in four of the towers were under control by Thursday morning.

One firefighter was among the 83 people confirmed dead, officials said. At least 62 people were injured, many suffering from burns and inhalation injuries.

It was unclear how many people remained missing or trapped. Hong Kong leader John Lee said contact had been lost with 279 people early Thursday. Authorities did not provide updates on the missing people or how many were still inside the ravaged buildings Thursday during a press conference.

Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested in connection with the fires and are being investigated for manslaughter.

"We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police.

Authorities suspected that some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the swift spread of the fire.

Police also said they found Styrofoam, which is highly flammable, attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower.

It was believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said they would investigate the materials further.

The fire started on the exterior scaffolding of a 32-story tower, then spread to the bamboo scaffolding and construction netting on the inside of the building, and then to the other buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high on ladder trucks, but noted that the conditions for fighting the fire and rescuing people remained challenging.

“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings is falling down,” said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations.

“The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.”

The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments for about 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. It was built in the 1980s and had been undergoing a major renovation.

Close to 1,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight into Thursday. Hong Kong leader John Lee, in a statement late on Wednesday, said 279 people remain missing. Rescues were continuing, but an updated figure wasn't available as of Thursday.

The fire was the deadliest to hit Hong Kong in decades. In November 1996, 41 people died after a fire erupted in a commercial building in Kowloon, which took roughly 20 hours to extinguish.