A catastrophic fire ripped through a vast housing estate in Hong Kong, killing at least 94 people and leaving dozens unaccounted for in what authorities say is the city’s deadliest disaster in decades. The blaze tore through multiple towers in the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, where many of the more than 4,000 residents were older adults.
Several apartments continued burning into early Friday morning, more than a full day after flames first erupted. Emergency crews said extreme heat inside the buildings delayed rescue attempts and prevented firefighters from reaching people trapped on higher floors. A man was pulled alive from the 16th story on Thursday, according to public broadcaster RTHK, but many others remain missing.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. The complex was undergoing renovation and wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and safety netting, a common construction practice in Hong Kong. Officials are examining whether flammable materials, including polystyrene panels blocking windows in several units, fueled the spread of the blaze.
Authorities said at least seven of the estate’s eight residential blocks were affected. Firefighters confronted simultaneous multi story fires after scaffolding at the first building ignited and flames leapt from tower to tower. More than 800 fire personnel, 128 trucks and 57 ambulances were deployed.
Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of the Hong Kong Fire Services, said rescue efforts took “longer than expected” because the inferno was “much worse” than crews initially believed. By early Thursday morning, fires in three buildings had been extinguished, but scattered flames remained in others.
Police arrested three men on suspicion of “gross negligence” after investigators traced flammable polystyrene boards found at the scene to a construction company. Fire Services Director Andy Yeung said the discovery was “unusual,” adding that the materials were “extremely inflammable.”
The blaze has devastated the community. Officials confirmed that among the dead was a 37 year old firefighter, Ho Wai ho, who succumbed to injuries sustained while battling the flames. More than 100 people were injured, including at least 11 firefighters.
Hundreds of residents are now displaced in a city where housing shortages are already severe. Chief Executive John Lee announced that each affected household will receive 10,000 Hong Kong dollars, and the government will assign “one social worker per household” to support survivors.
“I don’t doubt many elderly, cats and dogs are still in there,” said a resident surnamed Ho, who fled his apartment immediately after hearing the fire alarm.
The scale of the tragedy has raised urgent questions about building safety, renovation oversight and Hong Kong’s longstanding reliance on bamboo scaffolding. While the technique is deeply rooted in local culture, experts have increasingly warned about its combustibility and durability. In March, Hong Kong’s Development Bureau said half of new public projects must use metal scaffolding to align with standards in “advanced cities,” prompting backlash from some residents who view bamboo scaffolding as cultural heritage.
The disaster has also placed political pressure on both local and mainland authorities. Hong Kong operates under a semi autonomous system but has come under tighter control from Beijing since 2019, when pro democracy protests swept the city. Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed condolences and called for “all out efforts” to reduce casualties and losses.
Lee said he was “saddened” by the scale of the tragedy, offering “deep condolences to the families of the deceased and those who were injured.”
The fire is likely the deadliest in Hong Kong since World War II and has shocked a city known for strict building codes and a strong safety record. Investigators are now working to determine how a blaze in one tower escalated into a multi building catastrophe that engulfed a community in minutes.
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