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Live feed from scene shows firefighters dousing fierce flames at Tai Po high-rise complex
Shweta Sharma,Maira Butt,Harriette BoucherThursday 27 November 2025 03:27 GMTComments
CloseAt least 44 dead as huge fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise apartment blocks
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Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a fire broke out across three blocks of a high-rise Hong Kong housing complex on Wednesday, killing at least 44 people.
Another 45 people remain in critical condition, while 279 people remain unaccounted for, as police say they have received multiple reports of people trapped inside homes in the Wang Fuk Court complex, located in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district.
Firefighters are battling to contain the fierce fire amid plumes of thick smoke. Live video from the scene showed firefighters aiming jets of water at the flames from ladders on firefighting trucks. At least one firefighter is reported to be among those killed.
Wang Fuk Court is a 2,000-unit residential complex made up of eight blocks in total.
The blaze erupted at 2.51pm local time and has been upgraded to a No 5 alarm fire, the highest level of severity, the Fire Services Department said.
John Lee, Hong Kong's chief executive, said: “Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team to investigate the cause of the fire.”
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Hong Kong’s devastating fire must spell the end of bamboo scaffolding
Key Points
- Construction executives arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
- Death toll hits 44 as firefighters work to put out blaze
- Watch: Deadly fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise apartment blocks
- Hong Kong opens emergency shelters after Wang Fuk Court fire
- Fire at Wang Fuk Court escalates to Hong Kong’s highest alert level
Hong Kong’s devastating fire must spell the end of bamboo scaffolding
It is hard to imagine a world city that would be more devastated by a high-rise inferno like the one that struck Hong Kong on Wednesday, with the fire still yet to be brought under control. The devastating images of Wang Fuk Court’s eight residential blocks lit up like tinderboxes have been met with shock around the world, but have sent a particular chill through homes in the Asian financial powerhouse.
The fire strikes to the city’s core: Hong Kong is its skyscrapers, from the giant office tower blocks in Central that bring in its fortune to the residential developments that cover every inch of buildable land in this compact metropolis.
Everyone I know in Hong Kong lives in a high-rise building - the soaring cost of rent makes it impossible to do otherwise, unless you base yourself on a remote island. This morning they are looking out of their own 30th-floor windows wondering – could my home be next? And how would I escape from up here if it was?
Read out Asia editor Adam Withnall’s comment piece.
Hong Kong’s devastating fire must spell the end of bamboo scaffolding
Experts say traditional materials allowed the fire to spread from one tower block to another, engulfing seven in total. There is now huge pressure on Hong Kong’s government to act, writes Asia editor Adam WithnallShweta Sharma27 November 2025 03:27Here’s what we know so far about the Hong Kong high-rise fire
- Three construction officials have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, police said on Thursday.
- At least 44 people have been killed, 45 people are in a critical condition and 270 are still missing after the massive fire tore through several high-rise towers.
- While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, police say polystyrene boards were found blocking windows at the renovation site, a factor that may have helped the flames spread rapidly. Authorities also believe the fire travelled quickly, including to neighbouring buildings, via the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the towers.
- It began on Wednesday afternoon and was still burning on Thursday morning. Authorities suspect exterior building materials failed to meet fire-safety standards, contributing to the fire’s rapid spread.
- Those arrested include two construction company directors and a consultant, aged between 52 and 68.
- Police said flammable foam boards were installed outside elevator lobby windows on every floor of one of the buildings. Investigators believe there was “gross negligence” during construction, leading to the scale of the disaster.
- The fire started around 2.50pm in the Tai Po district and quickly spread across multiple towers in the Wang Fuk Court complex, a dense estate of about 2,000 flats, currently covered in bamboo scaffolding.
- Emergency services have deployed more than 1,200 fire and ambulance personnel, and over 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters.
- Local district contacts say families are still reporting missing members who were inside their homes when the fire broke out.
- From the mainland, China's president Xi Jinping urged an "all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China's state broadcaster CCTV said.
Tai Po district blaze deadliest fire in decades
The fire that ripped through high-rise apartment blocks in Tai Po on Wednesday is the deadliest blaze Hong Kong has seen in years.
In November 1996, 41 people died in a commercial building in Kowloon in a level five fire that lasted for around 20 hours.
Wednesday’s fire has killed at least 44 people, while 45 people remain in critical condition.
At least 44 people have died (AFP/Getty)Harriette Boucher27 November 2025 03:00Latest images show Tai Po fire is still burning
The fire is still burning in several blocks at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, where firefighters worked through the night to try and contain it.
The fire began at around 3pm Hong Kong time on Wednesday.
By early Thursday morning, authorities said they had brought the fire in four blocks under control, with operations continuing in three blocks after more than 15 hours.
The authorities have said it could still take all of Thursday to completely extinguish the fire
Thick smoke billows from the upper floors of a residential block at Wang Fuk Court housing estate during a major fire that engulfed bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings, in Tai Po, Hong Kong (REUTERS)
Firefighters spray water on flames as a major fire burns through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district (AFP via Getty Images)
An apartment still burns as a major fire swept through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district (AFP via Getty Images)
Firefighters spray water on flames as a major fire burns through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate (AFP via Getty Images)Shweta Sharma27 November 2025 02:54Taiwan's president offers prayers for Hong Kong after apartment complex fire
Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te on Thursday offered his condolences to the people of Hong Kong over the huge fire still burning in an apartment complex, which has so far killed at least 44 people.
"At this moment, let us join together in prayers for Hong Kong. I extend my deepest condolences to all Hong Kong friends who lost their lives in this disaster and to their families," Lai said in a post on his X account.
Shweta Sharma27 November 2025 02:44Over 100 pets trapped in buildings, according to Chinese media
At least 100 pets are said to be trapped in the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, according to the Hong Kong Pet Club.
“We estimate that every block has more than 10 animals of different species,” said Zoie Cheng Kam-shan, the business development director of the pet rescue group.
“We have received over 70 reports but are receiving more. So I estimate that there will be more than 100.”
Hong Kong Fire (AP)Harriette Boucher27 November 2025 02:00Tai Po housing complex was undergoing major renovations
Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with a population of about 300,000.
Local television broadcaster TVB said the complex was undergoing major renovations. Wang Fuk Court is a complex under the government's subsidised home ownership scheme.
Hong Kong Fire (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)It has been occupied since 1983, according to the property's website.
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
The bamboo scaffolding is used as an alternative to steel scaffolding and is commonly used in the construction industry in Asian countries.
Harriette Boucher27 November 2025 01:00Watch: At least 44 dead as huge fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise apartment blocks
At least 44 dead as huge fire engulfs Hong Kong high-rise apartment blocksHarriette Boucher27 November 2025 00:41Wang Fuk Court is one of Hong Kong’s major housing estates
Wang Fuk Court, a large public housing complex of eight residential blocks with nearly 2,000 units, has been partially wrapped in bamboo scaffolding – a traditional construction method still widely used in Hong Kong.
Several of these scaffolded towers are now at the centre of a major fire that has prompted the closure of a key highway.
(Reuters)Harriette Boucher26 November 2025 23:01Construction executives arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
Three construction company executives have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection to the blaze, police said.
Two directors and a consultant, aged between between 52 to 68-years-old, have been detained.
Police found polystyrene boards that were blocking windows of the building and suspect they, along with substandard construction materials, may have caused the rapid spread of the fire, the BBC reported.
Harriette Boucher26 November 2025 22:33Newer1 / 5OlderMore about
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