Hong Kong
—
In just a few hours on Wednesday afternoon, what started as a small blaze in a ground floor apartment building escalated into a fiery inferno that consumed seven high-rise towers in a public housing complex in Hong Kong.
At least 128 people have died, up to 200 are missing and thousands are now homeless in a city chronically short of space and with some of the highest real estate prices in the world.
The fire shocked even Hong Kong, which has a high level of safety and is not accustomed to disasters of this scale.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. However, all the buildings in the complex were being renovated and many windows were sealed with highly flammable polystyrene, which authorities say added fuel to the fire.
That, and a series of other safety deficiencies, all contributed to the worst fire in Hong Kong in decades.
Below is a timeline of how the fire got out of control.
Approximately 24 hours after the fire broke out, the scale of the tragedy slowly became apparent, and the death toll continued to rise over the next several days.
Facing intense pressure from a grieved and angry public, authorities launched an anti-crime and corruption investigation, and on Friday arrested eight more people in connection with the renovation project.
But for survivors and bereaved families, there may be no answer to ease the pain of their loss.
