A massive overnight fire tore through Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, killing at least 55 people, injuring more than 120, and leaving hundreds unaccounted for in one of the city’s worst residential disasters in decades.
BY PC BUREAU
November 27, 2025: A massive fire that tore through a residential complex in Hong Kong’s New Territories has become the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, killing at least 55 people, including a 37-year-old firefighter, and leaving hundreds injured or missing. The inferno, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon in the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, raged well into Thursday morning as exhausted rescue teams continued pulling survivors from smoke-choked corridors and high-rise flats.
Authorities said 279 residents were initially unaccounted for, though some were later contacted as search-and-rescue operations intensified across the eight-block complex, home to nearly 4,800 residents, many of them elderly. At least 62 people were injured, with several in critical condition. The firefighter killed during the operation died while attempting to guide trapped residents out of a 32-storey tower engulfed in flames.
Renovation Materials Under Scrutiny
A criminal investigation was swiftly launched amid growing evidence that renovation-related negligence may have worsened the tragedy. Police arrested three men—two directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company—on suspicion of manslaughter.
Authorities revealed that investigators discovered highly flammable Styrofoam and polystyrene boards installed outside window frames and lift lobbies. These materials appeared to have accelerated the fire’s spread across seven of the estate’s eight residential blocks.
“We suspect serious negligence on the part of those responsible at the company,” senior police superintendent Eileen Chung said, noting that the insulation panels bore the construction firm’s name. Officials said the materials may have violated Hong Kong’s fire-resistance standards, raising serious questions about regulatory oversight.
Inferno Spread ‘Unusually Fast’
Hong Kong’s Security Secretary Chris Tang described the fire’s behaviour as “unusual and extremely rapid,” prompting a full criminal probe. Officials believe the blaze began on external scaffolding surrounding Wang Cheong House—one of the blocks undergoing major exterior repairs—before flames raced up bamboo scaffolding, tarpaulin sheets, and construction netting.
Strong winds further fanned the fire, pushing it deep inside individual units and then across multiple towers.
A resident quoted by BBC said locals had long feared such a disaster. “The renovation has been going on for a year. We found cigarette butts on our sealed windows every week. Everyone kept warning that if a fire breaks out, nobody will escape.”
In some buildings, fire alarms were reportedly switched off because of ongoing renovation, hampering early evacuation.
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Government Orders Territory-Wide Safety Inspections
Chief Executive John Lee announced that authorities will inspect all housing estates undergoing major repairs across Hong Kong. “The government will do everything possible to assist affected families,” he said, adding that temporary accommodation, social workers, and emergency financial aid had been deployed.
Lee suspended public campaigning for the upcoming Legislative Council elections as the city focused on crisis management.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has formed a Special Investigation Team to examine possible corruption or safety violations linked to the renovation works.
#UPDATE At least 55 dead, over 250 missing after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades.
Over 24 hours after fire broke out in the eight-building housing estate with 2,000 units, flames were still visible in some windows https://t.co/1AQmqnZAs6 pic.twitter.com/gBAsG03Q6t
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) November 27, 2025
China, Taiwan Extend Support
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences and announced a grant of 2 million yuan (approximately ₹2.5 crore) to support the Red Cross’s emergency operations. He urged mainland authorities stationed in Hong Kong to make “all-out efforts” to reduce casualties and assist the affected.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te also conveyed condolences, calling for prayers and hoping the missing would “be safely found as soon as possible.”
Decade-High Fire Casualties Raise Alarm
Hong Kong has witnessed a worrying rise in fire-related deaths over the past decade. Official figures show 33 people died in fires in 2024, compared with 12 deaths in 2013, reflecting the city’s increasing challenges as ageing buildings undergo simultaneous repair work.
Experts say densely packed apartments, older infrastructure, and ongoing renovations create high-risk conditions, especially in older public housing estates like Wang Fuk Court.
Raging fires have SWALLOWED three skyscrapers in Hong Kong — an absolutely massive blaze tearing through the Taipou district.
Four deaths have been confirmed, with two more victims hospitalized.
Authorities say the fire began at the Wang Fuk Courthouse before rapidly spreading… pic.twitter.com/LCGIWpHTfE— Camguarda 🔥 Unfiltered | Art & News (@Camguarda) November 26, 2025
Chaos, Heat, and Heroism
Firefighters described extreme heat conditions that made entry into upper floors nearly impossible. Ladder trucks blasted water into apartments as thick black smoke billowed from windows. Residents trapped on balconies screamed for help as flames wrapped around the exterior scaffoldings.
About 900 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters. Many were displaced with only the clothes they were wearing as they fled.
A 65-year-old resident told CNN he believed the death toll would rise: “Block 1 was lucky. But other blocks… I fear many have not made it out.”
Cause Still Unknown, But Negligence Suspected
While officials have not confirmed the precise ignition point, early evidence points to the external scaffolding as the source. Investigators are examining whether discarded cigarette butts, electrical sparks, or construction work triggered the blaze.
Residents’ accounts, the presence of flammable materials, and disabled fire alarms have all intensified public anger.
As firefighters continue searching through charred apartments and smoke-darkened stairwells, Hong Kong is grappling with the scale of the tragedy—its deadliest fire since the 1990s—and the deep systemic failures that allowed it to happen.
