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Keira Lu Huang

Eighteen hours after the devastating blasts at a dangerous-goods warehouse that have killed at least 56 people in Tianjin , Ma Yingbo and his pregnant wife sat at the gate of their apartment complex.
They had packed three bags and were waiting for a friend to pick them up.
"It's all empty now," said Ma, as a curtain fluttered out of a broken window behind him.
"I don't know when we can move back. I don't know what to expect, but we cannot live here now. My wife is pregnant and we don't know what's in the air."
READ MORE: China hit by explosion at second factory - less than 24 hours after deadly blast in Tianjin
State television footage yesterday morning showed grey and white smoke continuing to billow from the blast site.
Few flames were visible and wind had helped disperse smoke into Bohai Bay.
Troops trained in chemical warfare have entered the site to check what chemicals remain and to identify any hazardous substances.

Authorities were considering whether to send teams into the core of the blast site today to remove remaining hazardous materials in the warehouse.
The environmental ministry has found traces of cyanides and other chemicals three to eight times safety limits in two underground drainage systems, state television said.
Like many others, Ma was not told when he bought his flat that a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals and materials would be operating about 3km away.
An environmental evaluation report last year said a fire or blast at the warehouse operated by Ruihai International Logistics would not have a major impact on the surrounding area.
The Beijing News reported that Ruihai's licence issued in 2012 did not include the storage of dangerous materials and that it was added to the permit last year.
Read more: Environmental report for Tianjin dangerous goods depot
One of the residential complexes closest to the blast site was developed by Vanke Group.
Group chairman Wang Shi said on Thursday two of the company's complexes were damaged and some of the residents injured. One compound was 600 metres from the warehouse.
Vanke told mainland media that when it bought the land for the home projects, the company was told the warehouse was for regular goods. The group did not know when it became a storage site for dangerous chemicals.The group did not know when the warehouse became a storage site for dangerous chemicals.
Watch: People forced to evacuate homes after Tianjin blasts

Several security guards in the area where Ma and his wife lived said water had been cut to homes near the blast site but the power was still on. Lights were on in many flats, but no one was home.
“Those were left on last night,” a security guard said. “No one had time to turn off the lights.”
Ma and his wife were fortunate compared with some as they at least had a friend to stay with as the city coped with the disaster.
One man walking along an empty street near the blast zone was still looking for shelter in the city's sweltering temperatures.
"I don't know where to stay tonight," he said. "It was too hot in the tent. I can't stay there."


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Tianjin warehouse explosion 2015

Tianjin's homeless look for shelter as troops trained in chemical warfare enter blast site

Homeless rest at a centre set up for residents evacuated from their homes in Tianjin. Photo: Xinhua

A screen grab from state television showing the devastation near the dangerous goods warehouse. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Volunteers distribute relief provisions to those displaced by the blasts. Photos: K. Y. Cheng

Some of the injured pass the time at a school that has been turned into a makeshift shelter. Photo: Reuters

Soldiers of the Tianjin Garrison wait to enter the blast site. Photo: Xinhua

Tianjin's hell on earth as huge chemical blasts decimate Chinese port, killing at least 55

Earthquake authorities recorded the tremors created by the blasts, likening the first, at 11.34pm, to an explosion of three tonnes of TNT, and the second, 34 seconds later, to 21 tonnes.Photo: Yu Xiao/Beijing Youth Daily

Firemen carry a body from the blast site in Tianjin.Photo: EPA

Windows blown on a high-rise apartment building from the industrial explosion. Photo: Kyodo

Authorities yet to identify warehouse contents but Greenpeace warns of health risks from a chemical blaze

Armed police don protective masks as they prepare to tackle the blaze. Photo: PLA Daily 

Armed police  prepare to tackle the blaze. Photo: PLA Daily 

‘Is this a nuclear bomb?’: drone captures apocalyptic scenes in Tianjin, China, after industrial explosions

Taking on the look of a war zone or apocalyptic film, the gutted remains of an industrial area in Tianjin, China. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Fires were still burning after dawn. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Testament to the devastation, eyewitnesses compared the strength of the blasts to military bombs. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Shell-shocked residents posted photos of their homes, with unhinged doors and other damage. Photo: Beijing Youth Daily

Into the unknown: 17 Chinese firefighters die in the line of duty

A WeChat conversation between firefighter Liu Shikang and a friend. "Where are you?" the friend asks. Liu says he is on his way to Tonggu in Tianjin and has to put on his equipment. "If don't come back, my dad will be your dad. And don't forget to pay respects at my mother's tomb," Liu says. "OK. Your dad will be my dad. Be careful," the friend says.

A firefighter surveys the blast site in Tianjin on Thursday. In all, 17 firefighters were killed in blasts on Wednesday night. Photo: Xinhua

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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Update | Tianjin's homeless look for shelter as troops trained in chemical warfare enter blast site

Update | Tianjin's homeless look for shelter as troops trained in chemical warfare enter blast site