Four dead as fire rages through Hong Kong high-rise

Hong Kong media said that one of the dead was a firefighter, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread on bamboo scaffolding that had been set up around the complex in the city's Tai Po district. 

Live video showed firefighters aiming water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks.

The blaze was reported midafternoon on Wednesday and upgraded to a No. 4 alarm fire, the second highest level of severity.

Police said they had received multiple reports of people trapped in the affected buildings.

Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong in the New Territories and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.