"When you get closer the heat rises and you can feel it and the smoke is really heavy."
Student Thomas Liu was one of many people drawn to the scene of a deadly fire that tore through much of the eight-block Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po district.
At least 36 people have died in Wednesday's devastating blaze so far, and with hundreds still missing it's expected this number will rise. The cause is not yet known.
"It's a disaster," Thomas said of the fire, telling the BBC he had seen a body being taken away.
"Many people sent us WhatsApp messages or called us, saying they still have relatives inside or can't find them," Mui Siu-fung, a councillor for the Tai Po district, told BBC Chinese.
