HONG KONG, November 27. /TASS/. The death toll from the fire in a Hong Kong residential complex has risen to 44, with 45 more people being in serious condition, the city’s firefighting service said.

According to it, the number of those injured has climbed to 100.

The local police have detained three people - two senior executives of the company contracted to repair the buildings and an engineer. According to the police, materials used during the works did not meet fire safety requirements.

The fire broke out in the Wang Fuk Court complex, a series of high-rise buildings in the Tai Po neighborhood of Hong Kong's New Territories. The flames engulfed the bamboo scaffolding that had been erected for cosmetic repairs. The complex has nearly 2,000 apartments and is home to about 4,000 people.

The fire has been classified as the highest level. The last time a level five fire was recorded in Hong Kong was in 2008. Four people died and 55 were injured in a fire at a nightclub.

Spokeswoman for the Russian consulate general in Hing Kong Ekaterina Bogucharskaya told TASS earlier that the consulate has no data on Russian nationals who might have been affected by the fire. Russian diplomats are following the situation, she added.