A major fire in seven residential towers in Hong Kong has left at least 55 people confirmed dead, dozens severely wounded and around 300 people still missing.
Yesterday, shortly before 3pm local time, a blaze erupted at Wang Fuk Court, a 41-year-old subsidised home-ownership housing estate in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district.
The complex comprises seven 31 to 32-storey towers housing more than 4,600 residents in approximately 2,000 flats. It is a typical example of the city’s dense vertical living amid chronic housing shortages.
At the time, all blocks were encased in bamboo scaffolding and protective netting for ongoing exterior wall renovations, approved by residents.
Dry weather conditions, coupled with a red fire danger warning from the Hong Kong Observatory, set the stage for rapid escalation of the blaze.
The blaze began externally on Wang Cheong House, one of the towers. It is unknown what sparked the fire amid the scaffolding materials.
Highly flammable elements — bamboo poles, green safety mesh, and Styrofoam insulation used in window frames and walls —fuelled its rapid spread.
High winds drove flames across the façades, leaping from block to block and engulfing seven of the eight towers within minutes.
By 6:22pm, the incident was declared a “No 5 alarm fire”, the highest severity, a classification not used since the 2008 Cornwall Court fire and only the second time since Hong Kong’s 1997 handover from the UK.
It was the deadliest residential fire in the city since the 1996 Garley Building blaze, which killed 41.
More than 250 firefighters from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department responded, deploying hydraulic platforms, drones for aerial assessment and water cannons to combat the inferno.
Intense heat, thick black smoke and falling debris hampered their efforts, preventing access to upper floors where many residents were trapped.
Reports indicated that fire alarms in the buildings failed to activate automatically, with security guards resorting to door-knocking to alert occupants — a delay that likely contributed to the high casualty figures.
Among the responders was 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho, a nine-year veteran from Sha Tin Fire Station. He collapsed during operations and later died in hospital from smoke inhalation and fire injuries.
Evacuation was chaotic, with lifts disabled and stairwells filling with smoke.
By this evening local time, the fires were “basically under control”, according to local authorities.
The Tai Po District Office established eight temporary shelters at community halls and schools, including Kwong Fuk Community Hall and Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School, accommodating around 900 people by this evening.
A police casualty bureau and hotline were set up for tracing missing relatives, while a help desk operated at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital for the injured.
By early today, nearly 24 hours after ignition, the fire still smouldered, with 26 rescue teams sifting through debris for survivors.
At least 279 individuals remained unaccounted for, with fears the number could rise as searches continued.
According to Hong Kong CEO John Lee, the government will provide relief payments to every household impacted by the devastating blaze.
“To help affected residents, we will hand out 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about €1, 350) to each household,” Lee said today.
