Edit: Ahmed Al-Kumi

A massive fire broke out, causing hundreds of people to be trapped for hours on the roof of a commercial building in Hong Kong today, injuring at least 13 people and forcing firefighters to rescue many by the ladder.

According to one US newspaper, the fire started at around 12:30 p.m. during lunch at the World Trade Center in the busy Bay area of Kozuai on Hong Kong Island, which houses the 38-storey building of offices, restaurants and a shopping centre on the basements.

One public broadcaster stated that "more than 300 people were trapped on the roof for at least three hours. Police said that by late afternoon, more than 1,200 people had been evacuated from the building, and that at least 13 people had been sent to hospitals for treatment, many of them for smoke inhalation, including a semi-unconscious person.

Firefighters used stretchable ladders to rescue people and deployed two waterplanes and two breathing teams to fight the fire.