A devastating fire that tore through a densely packed residential complex in Hong Kong has left dozens of people dead and hundreds more missing, with many victims in a critical condition in hospital.
Rapid Spread of the Blaze
The inferno began at 2:52 pm on Wednesday at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, located in the northern New Territories. Officials confirmed the fire originated on the external scaffolding of Wang Cheong House before engulfing seven of the eight towers in the complex.
The flames spread with terrifying speed across bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that enveloped the buildings undergoing maintenance. This traditional building material, while culturally significant in Hong Kong, acted as a conduit for the fire, which continued to burn into Thursday morning.
Rescue Efforts and Challenges
Emergency services mounted a massive response, deploying approximately 200 fire trucks and more than 100 ambulances to the scene. Firefighters battled through the night to reach residents trapped on the upper floors of the 31-storey towers.
Their efforts were severely hampered by falling debris and extreme heat. Tragically, a 37-year-old firefighter is among the confirmed fatalities. The rescue operation faced additional complications as many residents, with windows shut due to the ongoing maintenance, reportedly did not hear fire alarms.
Official Response and Safety Concerns
From mainland China, President Xi Jinping expressed his sympathies to affected families and urged authorities to make every effort to control the disaster. Hong Kong leader John Lee confirmed that over 900 people had sought refuge in temporary shelters.
Police revealed that protective mesh sheets and plastic covering the buildings allegedly did not meet fire safety standards. In one unaffected building, windows had been sealed with foam material by the construction company carrying out maintenance work.
This tragedy has cast a harsh spotlight on building safety practices in Hong Kong, particularly the use of bamboo scaffolding. The local government had already begun moves to phase out bamboo construction, citing worker safety concerns after 22 deaths involving bamboo scaffolders between 2019 and 2024.
By Thursday morning, although the intensity of the blaze had reduced, several apartments within the complex of almost 2,000 apartments, housing about 4,800 residents, continued to burn, with the exact cause of the fire still under investigation.
