BEIJING - The number of fatalities from a fire at a hospital in Beijing that was one of the deadliest in the Chinese capital in at least two decades, killing 26 people and injuring scores, increased to 29 on Wednesday.

Following the Tuesday fire at Changfeng Hospital, dramatic videos of individuals using knotted bed sheets to scale walls to escape smoke and flames were shared via social media.

At the scene, where there were numerous police officers, some of whom were wearing plain clothes, broken and burned-out windows could be seen, witnesses said.

According to officials, all but three of the 29 people who died on Wednesday were patients, and the fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes.

An elderly villager who only revealed his surname, Li, stated, "There was a lot of smoke, I could see it." He provided  media with video clips showing smoke rising from the hospital's upper floors that he had taken.

Authorities are looking into the deadliest fire in Beijing since at least 2002, when a fire at an internet café claimed 25 lives.

Initial investigations revealed that combustible painting supplies at a ward undergoing restoration were to blame for the fire, which primarily destroyed a wing for severely ill patients, the officials said.

Media checks revealed that by Wednesday, many WeChat social media posts that were critical of the fire had either been removed or restricted.

One user said in a WeChat post that was later deleted, "Rescue work at the scene concluded in 3-1/2 hours, but the public only learned that 21 had died from the fire when it was already past eight in the evening."

The lack of knowledge about a fire that claimed 21 lives in a heavily populated metropolitan metropolis like Beijing before the official notice is quite perplexing.

According to the briefing, 39 injured people were still being treated at hospitals early on Wednesday, with three in critical condition and 18 in serious condition.