Death toll in Hong Kong buildings fire rises to 14

Death toll in the fire that engulfs apartment buildings in the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, has risen to 14.

The fire department said it received reports at 2:51 p.m. that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court.

According to fire service officials, seven of the residential complex’s eight buildings had caught fire, due in part to wind fanning the flames.

The Hong Kong Observatory, an official monitor, had posted a “red” warning of fire danger on the morning of November 24, saying “the fire risk is extreme.”

Hong Kong Observatory data from Tai Po Kau, a nature reserve in the Tai Po area where the fire broke out, shows winds reached a maximum of between 15 and 20 kilometers per hour, a light breeze, in the past 24 hours.

The eight-tower Wang Fuk Court complex was completed in 1983, according to Hong Kong’s public housing authority website, and has 1,984 apartments.

The complex has 4,643 residents, more than one-third of whom are over age 65, according to property agent Midland Realty’s analysis of government data.

Two-bedroom apartments that are just under 500 square feet (46.5 square meters) are for sale for HK$2.85 million (US$366,510).

According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million (US$ 42.4 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.

The closest fire station, Tai Po fire station, is about a ten-minute drive away.

The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Reuters