Videos of the heart-rending Hong Kong fire took over the Internet, leaving global netizens scared more than ever. The clips captured shocking visuals of a huge fire ripping through a high-rise apartment complex in the Asian country. The Tai Po Skyscraper burning up in flames left at least 44 people dead, with 279 people still not accounted for.

Hong Kong Fire videos take over Internet

Other camera clicks pouring in from the Tai Po district in Hong Kong showed countless firefighters battle the blaze by spraying water on the blackened towers. Burnt residue of bamboo scaffolding and green mesh were also pictured on the scared buildings. Officials have already pronounced that these materials may have caused the fire to escalate beyond control.

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As the Hong Kong apartment fire continued burning for over 18 hours, more than 800 firefighters were deployed to extinguish it at Wang Fuk Court. The fire was ultimately labelled a level five blaze, which is the most-severe level in the country. Such a fire last hit Hong Kong 17 years ago.

Other drone footage bringing us scenes of the devastated site this morning showed smoke billowing from the Tai Po area buildings, according to the BBC. At the time of writing, fire had been contained in four of the eight buildings of the complex.

Arrests made in Hong Kong apartment complex fire probe

On the evacuation scene, hundreds of residents were moved to temporary shelters. Meanwhile, three construction company officials, including two directors and an engineering consultant, were arrested over allegations of “gross negligence.” The three suspects’ ages range between 52 and 68.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” authorities said, as per the BBC.

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The exact cause that sparked the fire and led it to spread so quickly continued to be the subject of the ongoing probe.

During the rescue efforts, Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung said, “These polystyrene boards are extremely inflammable and the fire spread very rapidly,” as per CNN. “Their presence was unusual so we have referred the incident to the police for further enquiries.”