HONG KONG, Nov 27, (AP): The death toll from a massive fire that broke out at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong has risen to 55, as firefighters continued to battle the blaze, among the deadliest in the city's modern history. Hong Kong authorities said Thursday 51 people had been found dead on the scene, bringing the death toll to 55, including four others who had been brought to the hospital.

Thick smoke continued to pour out of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland. Firefighters have been fighting to control the flames since midafternoon Wednesday, when the fire started, and then spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings. Fires in four buildings had been effectively put out, with the remaining three towers under control, authorities said Thursday afternoon.

They said the operation could last until the evening. One firefighter was among the people confirmed dead, officials said. More than 70 people were injured, according to the city’s Hospital Authority, many suffering from burn and inhalation injuries. Resident Lawrence Lee was waiting for news about his wife, who was still trapped in their apartment. "When the fire started, I told her on the phone to escape.

But once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat,” he said, as he waited in one of the shelters overnight. Winter and Sandy Chung, who lived in one of the towers, said they saw sparks fly around as they evacuated Wednesday afternoon. Although they were safe, they were worried about their home.

"I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” Winter Chung, 75, told The Associated Press on Thursday. Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Police have not directly named the company where they work. "We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police.

Police on Thursday also searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, which the AP confirmed was in charge of renovations in the tower complex. Police seized boxes of documents as evidence, according to local media. Phones for Prestige rang unanswered.