Hong Kong residential fire kills at least 55 people, destroys homes Blaze marks deadliest in decades; unclear how many people unaccounted for City’s chief executive John Lee to brief media after visiting complex

At least 36 people were killed and dozens injured as a massive fire engulfed a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday, officials said.

A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong high-rise apartment complex that has killed at least 55 people with almost 300 missing poses the biggest test of Beijing's grip on the city it has transformed since the mass pro-democracy protests of 2019.

Hong Kong’s worst residential fire in more than half a century is triggering worries that a swathe of the high-rise housing common in China’s cities could be susceptible to similar safety risks.

In the Grenfell Tower blaze, a combustible element called cladding that ran up the outside of the 24-story building allowed the fire to jump from floor to floor.

Officials said four employees chased and beat the victim after he wouldn't show them a TikTok video on his phone.