Preliminary investigations by the police suggested that the fire had broken out in the electrical switch room located on the first floor of the shopping mall, before spreading to the bamboo scaffolding that surrounded part of the building, according to local newspaper South China Morning Post.

Authorities said that the fire spread from the building’s bottom two floors, which is occupied by a mall undergoing extensive renovations.

The fire services system had been shut off in the mall area, according to Mr Ng.

“If the system is under repair, it’s possible that the contractor will shut down the area affected,” he said during a news conference Wednesday evening.

The fire was upgraded to a level three incident, according to a police notice. Fires are graded on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe.

Firefighters have mobilized two breathing apparatus teams and two water jets to help fight the fire, police said.