Hong Kong buildings blaze kills 44, nearly 300 missing
At least 44 people were killed and 279 remained missing on Wednesday after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in three decades engulfed high-rise residential buildings wrapped in bamboo scaffolding, officials said, as exhausted rescue workers continued battling flames and searching for survivors deep into the night. Thick smoke and intense flames rose from the 32-storey towers in the Tai Po district, where many residents were believed to be trapped inside as emergency teams struggled to access upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.
Authorities said the fire, which erupted in the afternoon, spread rapidly due to the green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding that still covered several of the buildings despite a government phase-out order issued earlier this year. Police later arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter, according to public broadcaster RTHK, though no details were released regarding their roles or possible negligence.
Residents watched in shock as frames of bamboo scaffolding collapsed to the ground and firefighters worked in hazardous conditions to cut through debris and reach trapped occupants. A 71-year-old man surnamed Wong broke down while telling reporters that his wife was still inside the burning building. A firefighter was among the dead, while at least 29 people were taken to hospital and more than 900 displaced residents sought refuge in makeshift shelters.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the government’s immediate priority was to extinguish the remaining fires, rescue those trapped and support the injured, adding that a full investigation would follow. The Hong Kong Fire Services Department said flames were under control in three towers but remained out of control in four others, hampering movement and extending rescue operations into the early hours of Thursday.
From mainland China, President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to contain the blaze and minimise casualties, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The magnitude of the disaster prompted widespread road closures, including a full shutdown of a section of Tai Po Road, one of Hong Kong’s main highways, causing major traffic disruptions. The Education Bureau said at least six schools in the district would remain closed due to the fire and heavy congestion.
Wednesday’s tragedy is Hong Kong’s worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building blaze in Kowloon in 1996, a disaster that led to sweeping reforms in high-rise fire safety standards. The latest incident is likely to renew scrutiny over the continued use of bamboo scaffolding, a traditional construction material that Hong Kong is among the last places in the world to employ extensively. While authorities began phasing it out in March primarily due to worker safety concerns—after 22 scaffolding-related deaths between 2019 and 2024—bamboo’s fire risk has also been raised by labour rights groups, noting at least three fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year alone.
Wang Fuk Court, home to nearly 2,000 apartments across eight blocks, is part of a subsidised home-ownership scheme and has been undergoing large-scale renovations reportedly costing HK$330 million. Residents said the construction had been ongoing for more than a year, with each household contributing between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000 for the works. Tai Po is one of Hong Kong’s most densely populated suburban districts, home to around 300,000 people, and the scale of the blaze has deepened concerns about building safety, evacuation procedures and chronic housing pressures in the city.
As families awaited news of their loved ones, many expressed uncertainty about their futures. “I don’t even know how I feel right now,” said 66-year-old Harry Cheung, who has lived in the complex for over four decades. “I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight.”
