HONG KONG: At least 36 people were killed and 279 were missing on Wednesday (Nov 26) after Hong Kong's deadliest fire in three decades ripped through high-rise residential towers sheathed in flammable bamboo scaffolding, authorities said.

More than 10 hours after the fire started in the northern Tai Po district, flames and thick smoke still engulfed the 32-storey towers as rescue workers swarmed the site and shocked inhabitants watched nearby.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but it was fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding which the government began phasing out in March for safety reasons.

Fire authorities said they were grappling to get to the towers' upper floors due to the intense heat, and containing the blaze was getting tougher after night fell.

The Wang Fuk Court housing complex, where the fire started, has 2,000 residential apartments comprising eight blocks. The Fire Services Department said it did not yet have a figure for the number of people who might still be inside the buildings.

The government has set up a registration point for missing persons, according to local reports, with at least 200 people having been registered as uncontactable as of 8.30pm.

FIREFIGHTER AMONG THE DEAD

Dozens of shocked residents, many sobbing, watched from nearby walkways as smoke funnelled up from the complex.

A resident surnamed Wong, 71, broke down in tears, saying his wife was trapped inside one of the buildings.

A firefighter was among those killed, the director of Fire Services said, and more than 16 people have been injured.

The fire department said it received reports at 2.51pm that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court. By 6.22pm it had been upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the city's highest.

Strong winds fanned the flames, causing the blaze to spread to seven of the complex's eight blocks.

Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived at Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard"a very loud noise at around 2.45pm" and saw a fire erupt in a nearby block.

"I immediately went back to pack up my things," he said."I don't even know how I feel right now. I'm just thinking about where I'm going to sleep tonight because I probably won't be able to go back home."

Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development, according to Reuters witnesses.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee called an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening.

"All government departments are fully assisting residents affected by the fire, prioritising the safety and well-being of the public," according to a government statement.

China's President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night urged an"all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China's central television reported.

Hong Kong's Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong's two main highways, had been closed and buses were being diverted.

At least six schools will be closed on Thursday due to the fire and traffic congestion, the city's Education Bureau said.

It is Hong Kong's worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996. That fire was later found to have been caused by welding during internal renovations.

A public inquiry yielded sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city's high-rise offices, shops and homes.

SAFETY REGULATIONS HAD BEEN UPGRADED

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

The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety. It announced that 50 per cent of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.

Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with some 300,000 residents.

Wang Fuk Court, a 42-year-old Home Ownership Scheme estate in Tai Po, has been embroiled in a costly renovation dispute.

It underwent mandatory inspection in 2016 under a government scheme requiring buildings aged 30 years or above to carry out specified repairs once they receive a statutory notice. Major renovation works began in July last year and were expected to see scaffolding removed in the first quarter of next year.

Homeowners complained after the renovation fund climbed to HK$330 million (US$42 million), calling the cost excessive. Each household was told to pay at least HK$160,000 to HK$180,000 within six-and-a-half months, prompting frustration and a confrontation with the owners' corporation chairman at a meeting in mid-June last year, according to local reports.

Owning a home is a distant dream for many in Hong Kong, one of the world's most expensive housing markets and where residential rents are hovering around record highs.