At least 44 people died Wednesday, November 26, in a fire that broke out in a residential complex in Hong Kong. It is not yet known if anyone is still trapped inside the burning buildings. Chinese President Xi Jinping commented on the fire, which was classified as category five, the highest level. A previous report also indicated 279 people were missing. Three people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

At least five of the eight residential towers in the Wang Fuk Court complex, located in the Tai Po district of northern Hong Kong , are ablaze. An Agence France-Presse journalist on the scene reported hearing loud cracking noises, possibly coming from bamboo scaffolding, before massive flames appeared in the sky.

At a press conference, Chou Wing-yin, an official with the fire department, initially reported that firefighters had treated 28 victims. Of these, " nine were pronounced dead at the scene. Six others were transported to the hospital in critical condition, of whom four ultimately died ," he stated.

Twenty-three people were hospitalized, including six in critical condition and eleven in serious condition. A 37-year-old firefighter was found with burns to his face and pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

At least 44 people lost their lives in the fire.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee, later provided more tragic figures on Wednesday night. He explained that there were at least 36 dead and 279 missing. A new toll was released early Wednesday morning by the fire department, reporting 44 deaths.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. The Chinese president has spoken indirectly. Xi Jinping offered his condolences to the victims, calling for every effort to be made to minimize their number, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

However, local authorities were quick to announce the arrest of three men suspected of manslaughter. The territorial police announced the arrests via a very brief, one-sentence statement, promising a press conference at a later date.

One favored hypothesis is the tradition of using bamboo scaffolding.

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AFP spoke with police officers at the scene of the tragedy. They said they could not confirm whether anyone was still trapped inside the burning buildings. " Firefighters can't get in ," they stated. As night fell, firefighters continued to battle the blaze, which showed no signs of abating.

The city's history of fires in this area tends to support one hypothesis. Reuters reports that, according to local television, the apartments, some of which were indeed covered in bamboo scaffolding, were undergoing renovations. Witnesses say that some of the scaffolding collapsed while firefighters were battling the blaze.

The megacity of Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to the People's Republic of China before Beijing's tightening control in recent years, is home to some of the world's tallest and most densely populated residential buildings. Last month, a scaffolding fire in the business district injured four people.