A survivor of Hong Kong‘s deadly tower block inferno has told how he phoned loved ones to say goodbye as smoke poured into his flat and he believed he had only minutes to live.

William Li, 40, was at home on a day off when his wife rang just after 3pm to warn him their building in the Wang Fuk Court complex was on fire.

There were no alarms, no smoke and no burning smell inside his second-floor flat, so he quickly changed out of his pyjamas before heading for the door.

But by the time he opened it – barely eight minutes later – the corridor had become a tunnel of thick, black smoke.

‘Everything went black before my eyes. I thought to myself: I’m in serious trouble,’ the father-of-two said.

Realising he could not escape, Li slammed the door shut and took refuge inside.

Moments later he heard two elderly neighbours coughing and panicking in the hallway, trying to flee their homes.

He led them into his flat as the smoke surged towards them. He said the pair told him their window had overheated and exploded, letting the flames roar directly into their home. Li feared his would soon do the same.

‘That was the moment I began to feel death was very close to me,’ he said.

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William Li (pictured), 40, was at home on a day off when his wife rang just after 3pm to warn him their building in the Wang Fuk Court complex was on fire

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There were no alarms, no smoke and no burning smell inside his second-floor flat, so he quickly changed out of his pyjamas before heading for the door. Pictured: fire Fighters battle the deadly Wednesday fire at Wang Fuk Court

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But by the time he opened it – barely eight minutes later – the corridor had become a tunnel of thick, black smoke. Pictured: Firefighters are seen through William Li’s window as he waits to be rescued during the fire

‘I felt terrified and helpless because I knew the doorway wasn’t safe anymore. I thought there was nothing I could do but wait.’

As explosions echoed outside and his room glowed orange from the flames, Li phoned friends and begged them to look after his family if he didn’t make it.

His mother, who lives in the UK, also called in panic.

‘I told her not to worry, but I felt like I was facing the end of my life,’ he said.

For more than two hours, Li and his neighbours were trapped as the fire tore through the complex.

The blaze, which erupted during renovation works, shot up bamboo scaffolding wrapped in nylon netting before jumping between buildings when highly flammable foam panels attached to windows ignited.

The inferno – Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948 – killed at least 128 people, with the fate of another 150 residents still unclear.

Seven of the estate’s eight towers were engulfed as more than 800 firefighters battled extreme heat for over 40 hours to bring it under control.

Authorities have since arrested eleven people, including construction bosses, engineers and scaffolding contractors, as investigators probe why fire alarms failed and whether the materials used on the exterior walls met safety standards.

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Li, who grew up in the complex, shared photos online showing the night sky blazing orange outside his window

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As explosions echoed outside and his room glowed orange from the flames, Li phoned friends and begged them to look after his family if he didn’t make it. Pictured: Fire fighters prepare to battle the fire

Wang Fuk Court, a sprawling 31-storey estate near the mainland Chinese border, was home to nearly 4,800 residents, many of them elderly.

Around 900 people were taken to emergency shelters, with volunteers and off-duty medics flooding into the district to help.

Li, who grew up in the complex, shared photos online showing the night sky blazing orange outside his window.

At one point he considered jumping, but instead used wet towels to block smoke from creeping under his door and waited for rescue.

Help finally arrived at around 5pm when firefighters managed to prop a ladder against the scaffolding outside his flat.

Li insisted his elderly neighbours be rescued first, helping them crawl out of a small window and across the scaffolding to safety.

‘Once they had gone, I was left alone in the flat,’ he said. ‘My feelings were very heavy because I knew I had to leave this home and that it might be swallowed by fire.’

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A man reacts, as smoke rises while flames engulf bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China

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Wang Fuk Court, a sprawling 31-storey estate near the mainland Chinese border, was home to nearly 4,800 residents, many of them elderly

As firefighters shouted warnings about falling debris, they hosed him down with cold water to protect him from the flames as he clambered down the ladder.

‘The cold water drenched my whole body. The emotions were overwhelming, hard to describe. But I felt very lucky.’

Hours later, during an emotional reunion, Li said his wife cried until her tears finally ran dry.

 His daughter rushed to him screaming, ‘Daddy didn’t die!’ while his young son sat silently, tears running down his face.

Now Li, like thousands of others, is left with nothing but the clothes he escaped in. His building is uninhabitable, their belongings destroyed.

‘No matter how many supplies are given, we can only carry what our hands can hold,’ he said.

‘But Hong Kong people are full of compassion. The donations, the kindness… we are very grateful.’