At least 13 people have died and dozens more were injured after a massive fire swept through a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, officials said, according to Baltimore Chronicle.
The fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court at 2:51 p.m. local time and was quickly escalated by authorities. By 3:02 p.m., it had been upgraded to a No. 3 alarm and further to No. 4 at 3:34 p.m. By 6:22 p.m., officials reported the blaze had reached a No. 5 alarm due to its intensity and rapid spread.
Firefighters worked to contain flames engulfing bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings. At least 28 people were injured, with many taken to two local hospitals for treatment.
Tragically, one of the deceased was a firefighter from the nearby Sha Tin Fire Station. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung identified him as Ho Wai-ho, 37, who was found collapsed at the scene and later died in the hospital.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee expressed his condolences to the families affected, acknowledging that the fire caused multiple casualties, including a firefighter who died in the line of duty. Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung stated that emergency services were fully deployed to the scene and that fire crews were working tirelessly to extinguish the blaze.
Earlier we wrote that Kremlin Avoids Comment on U.S.-Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Information Frenzy in Geneva.
