LONDON — At least 36 people were killed as a massive fire engulfed a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

“A fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po at 2.51 p.m. today … The fire was upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 3.02 p.m., and to No. 4 alarm at 3.34 p.m.,” according to a statement from the Hong Kong government.

By 6:22 p.m. local time the fire had been upgraded again to a No. 5 alarm, city officials said.

At least 36 people were dead, officials said during a pressing briefing early Thursday local time, the AP reported, as the death toll continued to rise in the hours since the fire started.

Over two dozen were injured, including many who were transferred to two local hospitals, fire officials said.

Some 279 people have been reported missing, officials said, according to the AP.

One of the dead was a firefighter who had been called to the scene from nearby Sha Tin Fire Station, according to Andy Yeung, the director of Fire Services.

Yeung in a statement named the firefighter as Ho Wai-ho, 37, adding that he “was found collapsed at the scene” of the fire. He was rushed to the hospital, where he later died, Yeung said.

“The fire has resulted in many casualties, including a fireman who died in the line of duty,” Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee said in a statement posted to social media. “I express my deep sadness and my deep condolences to the families of the dead and the injured.”

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung said in a statement that emergency departments were at the scene of the blaze. The fire department was “doing its utmost to put out the fire,” he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences sympathies to the victims’ families and those affected in a statement. He said he ordered authorities to “do everything possible to ensure search and rescue operations, medical treatment for the injured, and post-disaster relief, and to provide necessary assistance to relevant departments and local authorities to minimize casualties and losses.”

ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Karson Yiu contributed to this report.