There is a thickness to the air outside Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.

The smoke catches in your throat and the emotion catches you off guard.

Seven of the eight tower blocks that make up this complex have been all but blackened. And through the shells that used to be windows, you can only imagine the horror and the panic that must have played out inside, the screams that went unanswered.

More than 30 hours after the blaze began here there was still a sense that it is far from under control. At various points during the day the flames sprung up from different windows, as if the fire has found fresh tinder.

Debris falls from the buildings periodically, ash still floats in the air.

As of Friday morning here, 94 people are now confirmed to have died.

There is no doubt the community is reeling. Along the surrounding streets hundreds came out to look on in horror, mostly in a stunned sort of silence.

Occasionally the air was pierced with the terrible cries of relatives, who had received the news they were dreading.

But much of the grief was quiet and held close, an arm around the shoulders or a quiet embrace.

Among the survivors is the Lam family, three generations of which had been living in the building for 40 years. They have lost their home and haven’t heard from their neighbours.

“The alarm was all off because of the renovation of the outside. So there is no alarm to let all the people know. Many old people, elderly people, they were all having an afternoon sleep. So nobody knew,” Ms Lam, whose father survived the fire, said.

“Once they know the fire has already burned down everything, and they cannot escape, they were all trapped in the house. This is a disaster, actually.”

Another survivor said: “I feel sadness and hopeless and don’t know what [I’m] going to do. I don’t know. Cannot describe. So sad.”

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely populated cities, fire in places like this has a significantly more deadly potential.

And it also means many are displaced. Over 4,500 lived in this complex alone and are in need of emergency shelter.

The government has offered temporary accommodation to many, but the community is filling the gaps.

Armies of volunteers handed out food, water, blankets and clothes, including to those who had opted to sleep on the floor of a nearby shopping area.

One man, who wanted to sleep on the floor close to his home, said he doesn’t feel supported by the government.

There is a thin line between grief and anger, and there’s a feeling it’s narrowing here.

Many fingers have pointed towards the construction company running extensive renovations in the complex.

A netted mesh, bamboo scaffolding and polystyrene that may have been used as part of the works have all been cited as potentially speeding the spread.

Three construction bosses have already been arrested.

But there is a sense that distrust of the authorities more broadly runs deep.

“It is very serious and people are starting to feel furious about the construction company and the construction materials,” one woman said.

“There are so many layers of anger among the people. People feel that every party should take responsibility.”

Read more:
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Everyone we spoke to wanted to wear a mask to avoid being targeted, with volunteers actively encouraging the masks, and many hinted that the system shoulders its share of responsibility for what happened.

This fire is already the worst disaster in the modern history of Hong Kong; many of the victims are elderly and many will struggle to rebuild.

There will many days of pain to come, but many days of questions too.

At least 83 people have been killed, and police have made several arrests, after a huge fire engulfed a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong.

Authorities said nearly 300 people are also missing following the blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po – a suburban district with around 300,000 residents, near the border with mainland China.

At least 83 people died in the fire, according to South China Morning Post, citing the local fire department, and a further 70 people have been injured, including more than 40 who were described as critically ill in hospital on Wednesday night.

Around 900 people are also in shelters as a result of the blaze.

Police have alleged its cause could have been a “grossly negligent” construction firm using unsafe materials.

Three people – two directors and an engineering consultant – have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

“We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” said police superintendent Eileen Chung. Police have not named the company.

The complex, built in the 1980s, had been under renovation for a year.

One firefighter was among those killed tackling the blaze, which broke out at 2.51pm local time on Wednesday. Another 11 firefighters were among those injured.

Fire crews said they had doused the flames in all seven of the affected blocks by Thursday morning, and were searching each floor for survivors.

Records show the Wang Fuk Court site consists of eight blocks, with almost 2,000 flats housing around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people.

Families have been identifying the bodies of relatives while others have been visiting shelters in the area, searching for missing loved ones.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Thursday the government will set up a HK$300m (£29m) fund to help residents.

The cause of the fire is being investigated, but it appears to have started in bamboo scaffolding and construction mesh sheets and then spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings – likely aided by windy conditions.

Bamboo scaffolding is commonly used in Hong Kong, but is in the process of being phased out because of safety concerns.

Hong Kong’s Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said there have been at least three fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year.

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China’s state broadcaster CCTV said President Xi Jinping has urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties and losses.

Both the US and British Consulate Generals for Hong Kong have sent condolences to those affected, as has Taiwan’s president.

The number of dead is the highest in a Hong Kong fire since 1948, when 176 people were killed in a warehouse blaze.

The fire has prompted comparisons to the Grenfell Tower blaze which killed 72 people in 2017, blamed on flammable cladding, as well as failings by the government and the construction industry.

“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong,” the Grenfell United survivors’ group said on
social media.

“To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone.”

If you’re still under any illusions about how seriously Ukraine’s allies view the wider threat from Russia, the wave of countries bringing back military service should help clarify that.

France is the latest, today announcing a new national service for over 18s.

Ahead of the plan being unveiled, President Emmanuel Macron said: “If the French want to protect ourselves, we must show that we are not weak in the face of one power that threatens us the most.”

That threat primarily comes from Russia, a country that numerous military chiefs have warned may be ready to attack a NATO member by 2030.

In essence, with today’s announcement, Mr Macron is trying to prepare a force to help protect France if attacked.

The young recruits would help bolster the military, which is already the second largest in the EU after Poland.

As more countries look to strengthen their defences, Moscow has accused European leaders of warmongering and consistently denied any threat to wider Europe.

However, its seeming unwillingness to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, the recent drone and jet incursions into NATO airspace, and the intensifying hybrid war it’s accused of carrying out across Europe mean few of Ukraine’s allies still trust the Kremlin’s word.

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Does Germany need to be ready for war?

Uncertainly about whether the US could be relied upon in a fight has fuelled the unease.

That hasn’t been helped by the fact the first 28-point peace plan presented by the US appeared to come straight out Moscow’s playbook.

In these uncertain times, France isn’t alone in looking to bolster its defences. Ten EU countries already have compulsory military service, while nations including Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are opting for voluntary schemes.

After years of neglecting its military, Germany is massively boosting defence spending, with the chancellor pledging to build the strongest conventional army in Europe.

The German parliament is expected to vote on the military service plan in December.

As one German general told me: “We are not at war, but we are no longer living in peacetime…

“We do not want war, but we must be ready to defend our country.”