At least 36 people have been killed after a fire engulfed several buildings at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said another 279 people were reported missing. He said 29 people remained in hospital.

About 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters after the blaze – Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years – broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the city’s Tai Po district.

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Pics: AP

Fire chiefs said the high temperatures made it challenging for crews to mount rescue operations.

Mr Lee said the fire was “coming under control” shortly after midnight.

The blaze was upgraded to a level 5 alarm, the highest level of severity, as night fell.

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Pics: AP

The dead included one firefighter, officials said earlier.

A number of other firefighters were said to have been hurt while trying to tackle the flames as they ripped through the 31-storey towers.

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Pic: Reuters

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Pic: AP

Records show the Wang Fuk Court site consists of eight blocks, with almost 2,000 apartments housing around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. It was built in the 1980s and has recently been undergoing a major renovation.

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Pic: Reuters

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Pic: Reuters

The fire, which broke out at 2.51pm local time, had spread on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting set up around the exterior of the complex.

It was not known how the fire started, but officials said it began on the external scaffolding of one of the buildings before spreading inside and to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

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Pic: Reuters

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Flames and smoke were still pouring out of many windows as night fell.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the firefighter who died, and extended his sympathies to the families of the victims, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also urged an “all-out” effort to minimise casualties and losses.

Tai Po is in the northern part of Hong Kong, and close to the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.

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Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects.

However, the government said earlier this year it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns.

The blaze is the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since the deaths of 41 people in a commercial building in Kowloon in November 1996.

That fire was later found to have been caused by welding during internal renovations, with a public inquiry yielding sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city’s high-rise offices, shops and homes.