Fire rages through Hong Kong high-rise, leaving 4 dead

HONG KONG (AP) — Four people have been killed by a raging fire at a high-rise Hong Kong housing complex on Wednesday that left others trapped inside, authorities said.

The city’s Fire Services Department reported four deaths and three people injured. Police earlier reported eight victims. The reason for the discrepancy wasn’t immediately clear.

Hong Kong media said that one of the deceased was a firefighter, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread on bamboo scaffolding that had been set up around the exterior of the complex in the city’s Tai Po district. Live video from the scene showed firefighters aiming water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.

The blaze was reported midafternoon and upgraded to a No. 4 alarm fire, the second highest level of severity, the Fire Services Department said.

Police said they had received multiple reports of people trapped in the affected buildings.

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.