The Shenzhen Fire Department has confirmed that the assembly of fire vehicles at Liantang Port was part of a routine readiness drill exercise, dismissing online speculation about cross-border assistance, Shenzhen Evening News reported on Thursday morning.

The clarification came after social media users noted multiple fire engines gathering near the port on Wednesday night, coinciding with a severe residential fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The Shenzhen fire brigade has not been deployed to assist Hong Kong, it reported.

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department also confirmed on Wednesday that no request for assistance from the mainland had been made.