HONG KONG: A massive fire is still raging at a Hong Kong apartment complex, killing at least 55 people and leaving nearly 300 missing. The fire may have been started by unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work, police said on Thursday.
The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon, was causing intense heat and thick smoke, forcing firefighters to work through the night to reach residents trapped on the top floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex.
This dense complex in the northern Tai Po district has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks, housing more than 4,600 people.
As of Thursday morning, officials said they had brought the fires under control in four blocks, with work continuing in three blocks.
Video from the scene showed flames still rising from at least two of the 32-story towers, covered in bamboo scaffolding and green construction netting, while heavy smoke billowed into the sky.
Police said the buildings were covered with protective mesh sheets and plastic that did not meet fire standards, and they found that some windows in one unaffected building were sealed with foam material, which was installed by a construction company carrying out maintenance work.
Hong Kong Police Superintendent Aileen Chung said, “We have reason to believe that the responsible parties of the company were grossly negligent, which led to the accident and the fire spreading uncontrollably, resulting in large casualties.”
He added that three men from the construction company—two directors and an engineering consultant—have been arrested on suspicion of murder in the fire.
Green construction netting and bamboo scaffolding used on buildings are a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but have been phased out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
At a press conference before dawn on Thursday, Hong Kong police said the 55 deaths included a firefighter, 45 of whom are in critical condition and hospitalized.
The death toll from a fire in Hong Kong is now the highest since 1948, surpassing the 41 people who died in a blaze at a commercial building in the Kowloon district in November 1996.
The latest blaze has been compared to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which killed 72 people.
The fire was blamed on the failure of companies to fit the exterior with non-combustible cladding, as well as the government and the construction industry. “The priority is to put out the fire and rescue trapped residents,” Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters earlier. “The second is to support the injured.
The third is to support and recover. Then, we will start a full investigation.” He added that about 279 people remained unaccounted for and 900 people were in eight shelters.
A 71-year-old resident surnamed Wong cried, saying his wife was trapped inside.
Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two of the complex for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud bang at 2:45 p.m. and saw a fire erupt in a nearby block.
“I immediately went back to pack my things,” he said. “I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight.”
Another longtime resident, surnamed Chu, said she still hasn’t been able to contact her friends who live in a neighboring block. After staying at a friend’s house on Wednesday night, the 70-year-old woman returned and found her house still burning.
“We don’t know what to do,” she said. China’s Xi urged ‘best’ efforts against the fire.
Many residents criticized the fire on social media, blaming negligence and cost-cutting. In one video, several construction workers were seen smoking on bamboo scaffolding around a block of the complex during renovations.
From the mainland, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “best efforts” to put out the fire and reduce casualties and damage, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
Hong Kong’s transport department said many roads in the area would be closed on Thursday morning, and 39 bus routes had been diverted.
The city’s Education Bureau said at least six schools would be closed on Thursday due to the fire and traffic jams.
On Wednesday, scaffolding frames were seen falling to the ground as firefighters worked to contain the blaze, while several fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development. After 22 people died from bamboo scaffolding between 2019 and 2024, the Hong Kong government began phasing out bamboo scaffolding in March. It announced that 50 percent of public construction work would be required to use metal frames.
According to the Hong Kong Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, despite at least three fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year, the fire hazard has not been cited as a reason for the phasing out.
Hong Kong’s skyrocketing property prices have long been a source of social discontent in the city, and the fires are likely to further fuel anger against authorities ahead of citywide legislative elections in early December.
Wang Fuk Court is one of several high-rise buildings in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with about 300,000 residents.
The complex, which has been occupied since 1983, is under the government’s subsidized home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites. According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
