At least 14 dead in inferno across SEVEN skyscrapers with residents trapped & anguished families waiting for answers

Almost 800 firefighters, 128 fire engines and 400 police officers were involved in the vast emergency response
AT least 14 people have been killed after a huge fire engulfed multiple tower blocks in Hong Kong – trapping locals in their apartments.

Flames and smoke tore through the 31-floor residential high-rises of Wang Fuk Court – home to 4,000 people in the Tai Po district – with almost 800 fire fighters wrestling to control the blaze.

Flames first took hold in three blocks, but spread to at least four neighbouring buildings over the afternoon – despite the efforts of 128 fire engines.

The city’s fire department eventually upgraded the alert to a No. 5 fire – the most severe rating – and said extreme temperatures inside the buildings were hampering their efforts.

Police have received multiple reports of people trapped in the buildings and on the roofs, unable to escape through the smoke and flames, amid claims the fire alarms failed to go off.

At least 14 people have died – four men including a firefighter and eight women – after scores were injured, authorities revealed.

The fireman was a 37-year-old surnamed Ho who arrived at the scene just after 3pm, but lost contact with his colleagues at 3:30pm – and was later found dead with burns to his face.

As of 8:20pm local time (12:20pm GMT), at least eight residents were still reporting themselves to be trapped in the buildings.

A cyclist spotted that bamboo scaffolding around the base of the blocks had caught fire around 2pm local time on Wednesday.

This spread quickly and soon set the buildings themselves on fire, Hong Kong media reports said.

Footage from the scene shows an intense fire with flames visibly licking from the towers through the afternoon and into the night.

Burning sections of green scaffolding mesh and other flaming debris could be seen falling to the ground.

A large number of fire engines are parked around the buildings, with enormous water jets mounted to long extensions aimed into the towers.

Residents claimed that fire alarms in the blocks failed to go off, meaning some missed out on valuable minutes when they could have escaped.

A man surnamed Fung says he still has no idea where his 80-year-old mother-in-law is, and that she is in poor health having just recovered from pneumonia.

He said: “I don’t know whether she is still trapped inside, or which hospital she was sent to.”

A 71-year-old man wearing a yellow t-shirt, in visible distress in photos from the scene, said his wife was trapped in one of the towers.

The man, surname Wong, broke down in tears and could do nothing but watch and pray.

Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree living in the community, said: “If someone was sleeping then, they were done.”

The last time a No. 5 fire was declared in Hong Kong was 2008, when four people died and 55 were injured in a blaze which started in a karaoke bar.

Authorities closed sections of a nearby highway as crews fought the blaze.

The fire department said: “Residents nearby are advised to stay indoors, close their doors and windows, and stay calm.

“Members of the public are also advised to avoid going to the area affected by the fire.”

Residents of the burning towers have been shepherded into nearby shelters, which are filling up with a stream of people including children and the elderly.

Two blocks of another nearby estate have been evacuated by police.

Hong Kong has been under a red fire warning since Monday, indicating an extremely high risk of a fire breaking out.

These categorisations are based on conditions such as humidity, wind speed and dry vegetation.

Wang Fuk Court, which opened in 1983, is home to around 4,000 residents, who live in around 2,000 apartments across eight blocks.

Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong in the New Territories and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.