Overwhelmed HK Locals Stunned as Major Blaze Destroys Apartment Blocks
"Moving near the scene, the heat increases and you can sense it, with the fumes being very dense."
University student an eyewitness was among the many people drawn to the location of a fatal inferno that swept through significant parts of the eight-building Wang Fuk Court in the city's Tai Po area.
A minimum of over three dozen individuals have lost their lives in Wednesday's destructive fire so far, with numerous still not located, indicating that this number will possibly increase.
"It's a tragedy," the student remarked about the blaze, mentioning that he had seen a body being removed from the area.
More than a 1,000 further residents were forced to vacate the development as the fire spread, with some heading to established shelters that have been established to shelter them.
The inferno is gradually being contained, but emergency responders indicate they are uncertain when it will be fully eliminated.
Fire could be seen issuing from separate homes as numerous people watched in silence.
"I am overwhelmed. The building contains so many neighbors and friends. I cannot comprehend what is occurring now. See, all the homes are just on fire. I do not know what to accomplish. I pray the local administration can support us to find stability after this."
A woman stated that her friends reside inside the structure and she was remaining to discover if they were able to evacuate.
An elderly inhabitant, who has dwelled in block two of the residential estate for over forty years, described hearing "an extremely loud sound" and observing blaze break out in a close structure.
"I promptly went inside to pack up my things," the senior occupant remarked.
"I don't even know how I emotionally right now. I'm just considering about where I'm going to rest overnight because I likely won't be able to go back home."
Although the cause of the blaze that overwhelmed the numerous multi-story structures is still unidentified, the blaze are believed to have spread quickly through the bamboo scaffolding that covered the structures, which were in the process of renovations.
Some individuals have voiced outrage that such a massive fire could have taken place and questioned the reaction.
"When there's a forest fire, they will utilize aircraft and drop fire retardant, but why is there zero deployment and how can they leave additional buildings burning?" asked one more inhabitant of Wang Fuk Court.
"This area is so close to the emergency response center and we believed the inferno could be put out rapidly, but now the fire has spread. I'm so discouraged," she explained.
The resident stated that she had been given little guidance from the government on where to obtain help.
Multiple area residents had brought essentials to the impacted residents - comprising many of coverings and warming devices.
Upon questioning about their sentiments regarding the fire, locals stated that "the government is incompetent" and that they were "immensely devastated".
"We hope not to experience any further fatalities," remarked one.
An elderly woman who resides in a unit within the impacted buildings stated she was away when the incident started but that she is worried about her apartment because it is not insured.
"I'm extremely troubled that I have nowhere to inhabit at present," she remarked.
