Ammon News - The morning after saving her elderly neighbor from Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, retiree Kwok was trawling through social media groups looking for signs other missing residents were safe on Thursday.

The day before, as roaring flames edged closer, the 69-year-old had run through her apartment block looking for her neighbor, who she knew lived alone and used a wheelchair, said AFP.

She got her outside before the inferno engulfed their residential estate, killing at least 44 people and leaving hundreds missing.

On Thursday, Kwok and others in her community were mobilizing to track down the hundreds authorities said were still missing, creating WhatsApp groups and an app to try to locate those unaccounted for.

"I saw (the flames) draw closer, it was burning red and my heart was burning too," said Kwok, describing how she had rushed through the building knocking on doors to warn people.

She said she had not heard a fire alarm at any point during the ordeal.

As the sun rose over the smoldering towers of Wang Fuk Court on Thursday, displaced residents had already spontaneously begun organizing themselves to deal with the aftermath.

"I saw (the flames) draw closer, it was burning red and my heart was burning too," said Kwok, describing how she had rushed through the building knocking on doors to warn people.

She said she had not heard a fire alarm at any point during the ordeal.

"I'm so worried, I kept calling but it didn't connect," said Leung, who was among those evacuated as a precaution and spent the night in a temporary shelter.

"I came back at five in the morning because I couldn't sleep," she added as she joined the crowd watching the fire, the smell of smoke lingering in the air.

Volunteers gave firefighters bananas and energy drinks, and provided clothes, chargers, food and hot water bottles to those displaced.

Some residents formed human chains in the early hours of Thursday to transport supplies hand-to-hand, according to local media.

Dozens of people gathered at an open-air podium usually a favorite spot for the elderly to spend a leisurely afternoon to organize donated clothing.

A 24-year-old student surnamed Zhang said she had travelled more than an hour by train to volunteer.

"I felt terrible (watching the news)," she told AFP as she folded clothes.

"Having one more person to help is always better, maybe this is to soothe my sense of pain."