On social media, posts about missing elderly relatives, children and pets have been circulating endlessly.

A desperate mother wrote: “I still can’t find my baby girl. It’s nearly 30 hours and there has been no updates from the fire service…”

In a later post, she said: “I am afraid there is no hope.” By Thursday night she confirmed to the South China Morning Post that her child was dead.

The devastation has spotlighted the expensive and controversial renovations at Wang Fuk Court, which cost about HK$330M ($42.2M; £32.1M), with each household having to pay between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.

Many residents had opposed the project because of the costs but it went ahead. Authorities have now arrested three executives from the construction firm, citing “gross negligence”. Police say the mesh and plastic sheets used on the scaffolding were substandard, and that windows were wrapped in highly flammable styrofoam.

Grandma Chan, a long-time resident, says she had been scared since the renovation began last year, because of its scale and she had occasionally noticed a burning smell. “Will anything happen if I stay home?” she once asked her daughter.

The 72-year-old was alone at home when the fire started but she only found out about it when her daughter, who was travelling in South Korea, called. She says she made it out alive because her daughter told her to flee.

It was the same for 82-year-old Grandma Wu. When the fire broke out, she was playing mahjong, a popular game, with her neighbours. They were warned not by an alarm, but by their husbands calling them.

But she said they continued the game because there were three buildings between theirs and Wang Cheong House, where the fire broke out. Then came a second call, saying the fire had reached their building. The women immediately took the lift and reached the ground floor.

Surrounded by the smell of burning buildings, Grandma Wu looked up to find that seven of eight buildings within the complex were in flames.

Although she was safe, she stayed outside, with her helper, overnight. She says her son wanted to take her to his home but she refused.

“I have been living in this flat for 42 years,” she says. “I told my son not to come, and I would not go anywhere. I have to sit here and watch how this goes. My heart will only be at peace after the fire is extinguished.”