Firefighters search at the site of the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories on November 29, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

Hong Kong fire authorities said they expected to wrap up search and rescue operations after the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex on Friday, killing at least 94 people and leaving dozens still missing.

Firefighters had mostly contained the blaze that destroyed the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern district of Tai Po. The eight-tower estate housing more than 4,600 people had been undergoing renovations and was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh when the fire started and quickly spread on Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighters said they were hoping to wrap up search and rescue operations at the still-smoldering complex on Friday morning.

“We’ll endeavour to effect forcible entry to all the units of the seven buildings, so as to ensure there are no other possible casualties,” Deputy Fire Services Director Derek Chan told reporters early on Friday.

It was unclear how many people remained missing or trapped. Hong Kong leader John Lee said contact had been lost with 279 people early on Thursday. Authorities did not provide updates on the missing people or how many were still inside the ravaged buildings on Thursday during a press conference.

Video showed rescuers searching in some apartments in the dark. Orange flames were still seen from inside several windows, though the whole complex was now largely a blackened ruin.

Firefighters have been trying to control the flames since midafternoon on Wednesday, when the fire was believed to have started in bamboo scaffolding and construction netting and then spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings.

Chan said the blaze spread “exceptionally fast” across the towers, and emergency workers struggled to gain access inside.

“Debris and scaffolding were falling from upper floors,” he told reporters. “There are also other reasons like high temperature, darkness … (and) emergency vehicle access was blocked by fallen scaffolding and debris, making our access to the building very difficult.” More than 70 people were injured, including 11 firefighters, as well as the 94 killed, the Fire Services Department said. About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight.

Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to Hong Kong’s bishop on Thursday, saying he was saddened by the fire and offering prayers for the injured, their families and emergency workers.

Resident Lawrence Lee was waiting for news about his wife, who he believed was still trapped in their apartment.

“When the fire started, I told her on the phone to escape. But once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat,” he said, as he waited in one of the shelters overnight.

Winter and Sandy Chung, who lived in one of the towers, said they saw sparks fly around as they evacuated Wednesday afternoon. Although they were safe, they were worried about their home. “I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” Winter Chung, 75, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Three arrested on suspicion of manslaughter

Three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Police have not directly named the company where they work.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police.

Police on Thursday also searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, which the AP confirmed was in charge of renovations in the tower complex. Police seized boxes of documents as evidence, according to local media. Phones for Prestige rang unanswered.

Authorities suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

Police also said they found plastic foam panels — which are highly flammable — attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower. It was believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said they would investigate the materials further.

Buildings were covered in scaffolding

The housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments for about 4,800 residents, including many older people. It was built in the 1980s and had been undergoing a major renovation. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said on Thursday it was launching a probe into possible corruption relating to the renovation project.

Officials said the fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower, then spread on the bamboo scaffolding and construction netting to the inside of the building and then to the other buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though Lee said officials will meet with industry representatives to discuss a switch to metal scaffolding amid safety concerns.

“While we know that bamboo scaffolding has a long history in Hong Kong, its flame retardancy is inferior to that of metal scaffolding. For safety reasons, the government believes that a complete switch to metal scaffolding should be implemented in suitable working environments,” said Eric Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration.

Published – November 28, 2025 07:21 am IST