At least 36 people died and 279 were reported missing after the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in three decades swept through high-rise residential towers covered in highly flammable bamboo scaffolding, authorities reported yesterday.
China’s President Xi Jinping expressed solidarity with the victims’ families and urged officials to make every effort to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties and damage.
More than 10 hours after the blaze began, which affected seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po district, flames and dense smoke continued to engulf the 32-story towers as rescue teams worked tirelessly while shocked residents watched from nearby streets.
As of Thursday morning, rescuers were still evacuating residents from the burning buildings.
Bamboo Scaffolding Fueled the Fire
Although the initial cause of the fire remains unclear, the spread was intensified by the green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding—materials the government had begun removing in recent months due to safety concerns. Police reported the arrest of three suspects.
This morning, firefighters continued efforts to contain the fire and rescue survivors across all eight buildings of the housing complex.
Fire crews, who worked through the night, struggled to reach the upper floors of Wang Fuk Court, which holds 2,000 apartments across eight blocks, due to extreme heat conditions.
A 71-year-old resident, surnamed Wong, broke down in tears as he explained that his wife was trapped inside one of the towers.
At least 29 people were hospitalized, and around 900 people sought refuge at eight emergency shelters.
“The first objective is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped; then we will support the injured and launch a thorough investigation,” said local official John Lee.
Scaffolding frames collapsed to the ground as first responders battled the flames, with dozens of fire trucks and ambulances lining the surrounding urban roads.
This is the worst fire in Hong Kong since 1996, when 41 people died in a commercial building fire in central Kowloon.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many towering residential complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated urban areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is a well-established suburban district with approximately 300,000 residents.
Occupied since 1983, the complex is part of the government’s subsidized housing program, according to real estate agency websites.