President Xi Jinping expressed condolences on Wednesday for the victims of a major fire at a residential area in the Tai Po area of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and for the firefighter who died in the line of duty.

Xi extended his sympathies to the families of the victims and those affected by the disaster, and called for all-out efforts to put out the blaze and minimize the casualties and losses.

The huge blaze engulfed several residential buildings in a housing estate in Tai Po, New Territories, on Wednesday afternoon, resulting in significant casualties.

Following the incident, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, promptly learned of the information about the fire rescue efforts and the casualties.

He urged the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR to support the SAR government in making every effort to put out the fire, carry out search and rescue operations, treat the injured, and provide post-disaster support.

He also demanded that relevant departments and localities provide necessary assistance to the SAR government to strive to minimize the casualties and losses.

The SAR government activated its emergency rescue mechanism, and the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR has established an emergency task force to maintain close communication with the SAR government and fully support the rescue efforts.

Rescue operations were underway.

The death toll continued to rise after the blaze broke out, with at least 36 killed and many others injured. Many residents were reported to have been trapped in their homes, with seven out of the total eight buildings on the residential estate on fire and a plume of smoke engulfing the sky and visible from far away. The fire continued to escalate into the night, with burning objects falling and explosions at the scene.

The blaze, which started at around 2:51 pm, was upgraded to a No 4 alarm at 3:34 pm, and it was further upgraded to a No 5 alarm, the second highest, at 6:22 pm.

Wang Fuk Court, currently under renovation, is a housing complex of eight buildings and nearly 2,000 residential units.

Nine people were found dead at the scene and four others were later confirmed dead after being sent to hospitals. Among the dead was 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho. Six people were still in serious condition. The injured were sent to nearby hospitals for further treatment.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has extended his deepest condolences to the firefighter who lost his life while performing his duties and to the families of the deceased.

Lee said in a Facebook post that he had immediately activated an emergency monitoring and support center, received reports from the Security Bureau and the Fire Services Department, and instructed the emergency and fire departments to make every effort in firefighting and rescue work.

The Fire Services Department of the HKSAR government sent 767 personnel to the scene.

The department said seven 32-story buildings, which all have bamboo scaffolding erected for renovation, were on fire. The conditions were extremely hazardous, with debris continuously falling and the number of distress calls increasing, which necessitated the escalation of the fire to a No 5 alarm, the department told media in an on-site briefing.

The Hong Kong government has opened five temporary shelters to accommodate affected residents, and a secondary school has also been opened to house evacuated residents. Several hundred people gathered at the temporary shelters, where bread, water and biscuits were being distributed.

Contact the writers at caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn