The blaze swept across bamboo scaffolding at the Wang Fuk Court estate in Tai Po, igniting multiple towers and prompting a manslaughter investigation.
HONG KONG — A fast-moving fire tore through a cluster of residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, killing at least 75 people, injuring dozens and leaving hundreds unaccounted for, authorities said. Police arrested three men linked to renovation work at the complex as firefighters battled hot spots into Thursday.
Officials said the blaze erupted on the exterior of Wang Fuk Court, a 1980s-era housing estate undergoing major refurbishment, then jumped across bamboo scaffolding and plastic netting, racing up a 32-story tower before spreading to nearby buildings. Fire Services crews raised the city’s highest five-alarm alert by nightfall as residents called for help from smoke-filled flats. By Thursday, emergency teams reported seven of the estate’s eight towers were affected to varying degrees. Investigators opened a criminal probe after finding flammable materials on building exteriors and windows sealed with foam near lift lobbies. The case has become Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in years and a test of renovation safeguards in one of the world’s densest cities.
Witnesses described flames climbing the scaffolding “like a ladder” as winds funneled smoke into stairwells. The Fire Services Department said more than 140 engines and 60 ambulances were deployed and roughly 900 residents were moved to temporary shelters overnight. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung confirmed a 37-year-old firefighter died during operations; colleagues were “deeply saddened by the loss of such a devoted comrade,” he said. Police said they received dozens of distress calls from people trapped on upper floors, many of them older residents. Crews used aerial ladders to reach balconies while internal teams tried to advance through superheated corridors where temperatures made entry “extremely difficult.” As dawn broke Thursday, hoses continued to douse pockets of flame and smoke as rescue teams searched stairwells and rooftops.
Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung said officers arrested three men—two company directors and an engineering consultant—on suspicion of manslaughter tied to renovation work at the site. “We have reason to believe those in charge were grossly negligent,” Chung said, citing initial findings that plastic mesh and foam were installed around window areas and that some materials on exterior walls did not meet fire-resistance standards. Police also displayed blocks of foam recovered near lift lobbies in an unaffected tower, saying similar materials could have accelerated the fire’s spread if present elsewhere. Officials cautioned that the exact ignition source remains under investigation. By Thursday afternoon, authorities listed more than 250 people as missing while confirming at least 62 injured, many with burns and smoke inhalation.
Records show Wang Fuk Court comprises eight blocks with nearly 2,000 flats and about 4,800 residents. The estate had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and protective sheeting for a large-scale renovation reportedly valued at more than HK$300 million. Hong Kong has long relied on bamboo scaffolding, prized for speed and flexibility, although past inquiries have warned about fire risks when combined with synthetic meshes or foam insulation. Videos from the scene showed embers drifting between towers and windows blackened across multiple floors. In the Tai Po neighborhood, shopkeepers pulled down metal shutters as smoke darkened the evening sky. The city’s Observatory noted gusty conditions at the time the blaze escalated.
City leaders called emergency meetings as the death toll rose. The government said mainland liaison officials visited shelters and hospitals, and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences and support for relief efforts, according to state media. Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority reported operating theaters on standby for burn cases as ambulances ferried patients to New Territories and Kowloon facilities. Relief centers opened in nearby school halls, where volunteers handed out blankets and masks to evacuees. A district councilor said many residents who remained in their apartments were elderly or mobility-impaired and had waited for guidance as the external fire moved faster than internal alarms. Utilities crews worked to restore power and water to partially damaged blocks while structural engineers began checking façades weakened by heat.
Past disasters frame the scale of the tragedy. In 1996, a level five fire in a Kowloon commercial building killed 41 and prompted updates to high-rise safety rules. In 2011, a blaze in Mong Kok claimed nine lives. Experts said the Tai Po fire’s external spread—through scaffolding, nets and façade materials—echoes lessons from high-rise fires abroad, including the 2017 London Grenfell Tower disaster, where cladding fueled vertical fire travel. Those cases pushed regulators to scrutinize façade systems, window sealing and evacuation communication. Residents at Wang Fuk Court told local reporters renovation work had sealed some windows or narrowed openings, complicating smoke venting. Authorities said they will examine whether any temporary measures during construction impaired escape routes or violated fire code.
Police said the three arrested men were being held pending further questioning and potential charges. Investigators from the Fire Services Department and Buildings Department began joint inspections of every block, sampling façade pieces, plastic netting and foam, and mapping how the fire jumped between towers. The Coroner’s Court will oversee identification of the dead, a process expected to take days given the condition of some remains. The government said it will release an interim update on Friday and has ordered a citywide review of scaffolding practices and external wall materials on buildings undergoing renovation. Elections for the city’s legislature are scheduled for Dec. 7; officials said campaign events in Tai Po would be curtailed while rescue and recovery continue.
As crews pushed deeper into stairwells on Thursday evening, volunteers delivered water and phone chargers to a sports hall turned shelter. Outside the estate, family members waited behind police lines for news. “I can’t reach my mother; her last call cut off,” said a woman in her 30s who gave only her surname, Chan. In another scene, a 71-year-old man wept near the cordon, saying his wife was trapped when smoke filled their flat. A grocery owner on Kwong Fuk Road said ash fell “like rain” as the wind shifted. Firefighters, their gear streaked with soot, rotated in teams to rest beside parked engines before returning to the towers.
By late Thursday, officials said flames on four towers were under control, with smoldering sections in others likely to persist while debris is removed. The missing-persons tally may fluctuate as relatives make contact and evacuees register at shelters, police said. An updated casualty count and preliminary investigative timeline are expected Friday morning, along with guidance on when residents of undamaged flats might briefly return to collect belongings. The manslaughter probe will proceed alongside safety inspections that could trigger wider checks on active renovation projects across the city.
Author note: Last updated November 27, 2025.