When Jacky Lee first heard about a raging fire at the Hong Kong housing estate where she lived, she rushed back to save Jason, her 15-year-old grey poodle still at home, fearing she would never see him again.

Lee arrived to find Wang Fuk Court complex engulfed in what would become the Chinese city's deadliest blaze in decades, with at least 151 people killed when seven high-rises were burned to charred husks.

The 43-year-old airline engineer joined the crowd waiting anxiously at a nearby school-turned-shelter on Wednesday for news on rescue efforts.

After midnight, as the flames grew, a district councillor told her that the search for pets had ended.

Then, just as all seemed lost, her phone rang. A firefighter called to ask if she had a dog in unit 2703 of the Wang Kin House tower.

A

See Full Page