Once a fire takes hold, getting thousands of people safely down dozens of storeys becomes a race against time, say academics. MELBOURNE: The Hong Kong high-rise fire , which spread across multiple buildings in a large residential complex, has killed dozens, with hundreds reported missing. The confirmed death toll is now 55, with close to 280 people still unaccounted for and dozens in hospital with serious injuries. This makes it one of Hong Kong’s deadliest building fires in living memory, and