Hundreds rescued from roof after major fire broke out in Hong Kong building

Firefighters rescued hundreds of people trapped on the rooftop of a Hong Kong skyscraper after a major fire broke out on Wednesday.

The fire started in the early afternoon at the World Trade Centre on Gloucester Road in the popular Causeway Bay shopping district, according to a government notice.

The 38-story building houses both offices and a mall.

Officials said that, in total, 176 firefighters were deployed to the scene and helped bring 770 people out of the building, with another 40 able to escape without assistance.

At least 13 people were sent to hospital for treatment, of which three had suffered injuries, while 10 others suffered from smoke inhalation.

Authorities said that the fire spread from the building’s bottom two floors, which is occupied by a mall undergoing extensive renovations.

It had been reported earlier that more than 300 people were trapped on the roof some three hours after the fire started.

Dense smoke was seen billowing out from the building, while footage tweeted by Hong Kong Citizen News shows dozens crammed on an open-air podium on the fifth floor.

Photos and videos from those trapped inside revealed poor visibility as smoke filled restaurants and stairways.

Preliminary investigations by the police suggested that the fire had broken out in the electrical switch room located on the first floor of the shopping mall, before spreading to the scaffolding that surrounded part of the building, according to local newspaper South China Morning Post.

Firefighters used an extendable ladder to rescue those who were trapped on the lower floors of the building.

They also mobilised two breathing apparatus teams and two water jets to help fight the fire.

The fire was classified as a level three incident, according to a police notice. Fires are graded on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe. At approximately 3pm local time (7am GMT), authorities said the fire was under control.