Hong Kong’s Worst Housing Estate Fire in Years Leaves Dozens Dead, Hundreds Missing in Tai Po
A rare No. 5 alarm fire that started on Wednesday afternoon at Wang Fuk Court, a public housing estate in Tai Po, has become one of Hong Kong’s most serious residential disasters in recent years, leaving at least 55 people dead, dozens injured and hundreds unaccounted for as of early Thursday. Authorities say the blaze, which spread rapidly across seven connected residential blocks wrapped in scaffolding and construction covers, has burned for nearly 16 hours and is still not fully extinguished.
What happened at Wang Fuk Court
According to the Fire Services Department, emergency calls were first received at 2.51 pm on November 26, after residents reported flames on external scaffolding at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Fire crews arrived within minutes and found the external bamboo scaffolds and protective coverings already alight, with the blaze quickly penetrating flats and jumping to other blocks within the estate.
The fire was upgraded in stages and reached a No. 5 alarm — the city’s highest alert level — at 6.22 pm, reflecting the speed and scale of the spread across multiple high-rise buildings. Residents reported flames and heavy smoke on numerous floors as the fire climbed vertically along the facade and then moved horizontally across sections of the seven blocks.
Casualties and missing residents
By the time of the latest overnight rescue briefing around 5.48 am on November 27, the death toll had risen to at least 55, including one firefighter who died in the line of duty. Forty of the victims were found dead at the scene, while four others died on the way to hospital; many of the injured suffered severe inhalation injuries from superheated air and toxic smoke, with some in intensive care on ventilators.
Rescue officials say there are a significant number of residents remain unaccounted for, with local media citing figures of around 279 missing people based on initial registration and family reports. Doctors have also reported cases of burns and suspected carbon monoxide poisoning among survivors pulled from smoke-filled corridors and flats.
How the firefighting and rescue are being carried out
Government statements say the Fire Services Department has mounted one of its largest recent deployments, mobilising over 1,200 fire and ambulance personnel, more than 200 fire appliances and around 100 ambulances to the scene. Firefighters have been using 11 water jets and multiple turntable ladders to attack the flames from the ground and mid-air, while 26 search and rescue teams work their way through the interior of the blocks.
Rescuers are advancing from lower to higher levels, with search teams reported to have reached roughly the mid- to upper-mid floors and firefighting operations extending across a wide band of floors in the affected towers. The biggest challenges cited by the Fire Services Department are the simultaneous burning of seven buildings, intense heat and thick smoke on upper levels, and falling debris from external scaffolding, all of which slow progress in reaching residents who may still be trapped.
Government response and emergency coordination
The Chief Executive, John Lee, convened an emergency interdepartmental meeting on Wednesday and activated the Government’s Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre to coordinate firefighting, evacuation and relief efforts. The government says its “top priority” is extinguishing the fire and rescuing trapped residents, while departments are also tasked with arranging temporary shelters and support for those displaced.
Police have mobilised more than 1,000 officers to manage evacuations, secure the scene and implement extensive road closures and traffic diversions around Tai Po to facilitate fire and ambulance access. Education authorities have announced the suspension of classes at several nearby schools to reduce congestion and allow emergency vehicles unobstructed movement through the area.
Arrests and early focus of the investigation
In the early hours of Thursday, police announced the arrest of three men on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence in connection with the blaze. The suspects are two directors and one engineering consultant from the construction firm responsible for ongoing external maintenance work at Wang Fuk Court, including scaffolding, protective netting and other temporary coverings.
Police say preliminary checks suggest that some of the external protection nets, waterproof tarpaulins and plastic sheeting wrapped around the buildings may not have complied with fire safety standards. Investigators also report having found combustible foam materials sealing elevator lobby windows in a block that was initially not engulfed by flames, and suspect that such material could have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread between floors and across buildings.
