Hong Kong fire live: Four killed in apartment building fire in Tai Po

Photos show that a large number of spectators have gathered to watch the firefighting operations with shock and dismay.

The fire appears to have intensified and the alert level has been raised to the highest.

The fire broke out at 2.51 pm local time and it is 7.30 pm in Hong Kong.

The fire department said the fire at the Tai Po Building complex has been upgraded to the highest level.

The fire was initially classified as a No. 1 alarm fire, but its severity rapidly increased.

Authorities raised it to No. 4 at 3.34 pm, and then to No. 5, Hong Kong’s highest alert level, at 6.22 pm.

Hong Kong uses a five-tier system to determine fire rates, with higher numbers indicating greater danger and complexity.

Herman Yiu Kwan-ho, a former district councilor, told a newspaper that at least 13 people were believed to be still trapped in the buildings as firefighting operations continued.

He told that these are eight elderly residents and two children. South Morning China Post.

About 14 cats also got trapped in the fire.

Police have begun the evacuation of two blocks in the nearby Kwong Phuc Estate

Around 6 p.m. local time, officials went door-to-door in Kwong Lai House and Kwong Yau House and instructed residents to leave as a precaution, while the fire was still burning in Wang Phuc Court.

It’s 7pm in Hong Kong and live footage from the Hong Kong Free Press shows firefighters working to bring the blaze under control.

The fire department said it received reports at 2.51pm (0651 GMT) that a fire had broken out at Wang Phuc Court. At 6.22 pm it was upgraded to the highest number 5 alarm.

Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with a population of about 300,000.

Local television broadcaster TVB said large-scale renovation work was underway at the complex. Wang Phuc Court is a complex under the government’s subsidized home ownership scheme.

According to the property’s website, it has been occupied since 1983.

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used in construction for scaffolding.

Bamboo scaffolding is used as an alternative to steel scaffolding and is commonly used in the construction industry in Asian countries.

Hong Kong authorities have opened temporary shelters for residents affected by the fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.

The government says accommodation is now available at the Kwong Fuk Community Hall and the Tung Cheong Street Leisure Building.

A help desk has also been set up at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital to assist displaced residents and handle public enquiries, with a dedicated hotline: 2658 4040.

Officials say the Tai Po District Office is “closely monitoring” the situation and will open additional shelter sites if necessary.

Wang Fuk Court, a large public housing complex of eight residential blocks containing approximately 2,000 units, is partly wrapped in bamboo scaffolding – a traditional construction method still widely used in Hong Kong.

Many of these scaffolding towers are now at the center of a massive fire that has forced the closure of a major highway.

Hong Kong’s Transport Department says an entire section of Tai Po Road, one of the city’s two main thoroughfares, has been closed due to the fire, with several bus services also diverted.

Emergency crews are at the scene and initial images show thick smoke rising from the premises.

People gathered on nearby overhead walkways and were shocked and dismayed to see smoke billowing from the buildings.

Dozens of fire engines and ambulances were parked on the road below the complex.