Hong Kong Fire Services and rescue officials brief the media on the latest progress at the scene of the Wang Fu Court fire on November 27, 2025, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Photo: VCG

Hong Kong's local media have described it as the city's most serious blaze in several decades — the fire at Wang Fu Court in Tai Po housing estate raged from Wednesday into Thursday, burning through almost the entire night. With the all-out rescue efforts of local authorities, the fire has been largely brought under control on Thursday.  

According to official updates, the blaze has claimed at least 83 lives and 76 injuries as of 0:00 am on Friday.

The blaze, which started on Wednesday afternoon shortly after 2 pm, spread at a shocking speed, leaving the city in mourning. 

Almost entire blocks of residential buildings were engulfed in flames, and some residents fortunate enough to escape had barely any time to react, witnessing their once homes consumed by fire and reduced to ruins.

For local residents and local media, Wednesday through Thursday was undoubtedly a sleepless night. Some local media such as Sing Tao Daily and Wen Wei Po turned their official website into black and white. 

However, even in the most pressing moment, there were also those who ran toward danger. With more than 1,200 firefighters and paramedics mobilized in total, the Fire Services Department dispatched over 200 fire engines and around 100 ambulances in the rescue operation. 

Zhou Ji, deputy director of Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, and director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, together with Nong Rong, deputy director of Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee, visited Tai Po Community Centre and Prince of Wales Hospital on Thursday to extend their condolences and care to the injured victims and affected residents of the Wang Fu Court fire, according to the Liaison office's release.

The release said the central government will continue to fully support the Hong Kong government in carrying out disaster relief and rescue operations. If the Hong Kong government has any needs for firefighting, rescue, medical treatment of personnel, or other needs, the central government will provide full support. "We believe Hong Kong compatriots will unite as one and overcome the difficulties together."

During a press conference on Thursday, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee expressed his gratitude to various mainland departments for their willingness to provide support, saying that the HKSAR government has drafted a list of required supplies, which includes items such as drones for site surveying, power-assisted devices to help firefighters climb floors, medical consumables for treating burn injuries, and laboratory testing materials, RTHK reported. 

All-out rescue 

A local resident surnamed Hung who lived in the residential compound was the lucky one.  

She recalled that around 2 pm, she received a call from a friend warning that her building might be on fire, Hung told the Global Times on Thursday evening. 

Unsure of the situation, she went downstairs to check and confirmed that a fire had indeed broken out. 

As the flames grew, she and her family quickly returned upstairs to grab essentials like wallets and phones before evacuating to the ground floor. "It was really frightening. The fire was huge, and since we live in the second block, seeing the flames from the third block drifting toward us made us even more anxious," she said.

As of 10 pm Thursday, there are in total 11 firefighters injured in the rescue operation, according to the Fire Services Department. 

The most touching story was about a 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho who lost his life in the operation. Local media reports said Ho had been in a relationship with his girlfriend since 2016, nearly ten years, and the couple had planned to get married next month.

On social media, many netizens expressed deep sorrow over the death of Ho posting messages such as, "Firefighters really have it so hard" and "Farewell, hero who went against the flames."

In order to urgently address the needs of affected residents, the HKSAR government will distribute HK$10,000 in emergency cash to each affected household, Chief Executive John Lee said at the press conference on site. 

At the same time, a "Wang Fu Court Relief Fund" will be established, with the government contributing HK$300 million and also accepting public donations.

Although the flames were merciless, scenes of compassion could still be found at the site. People from all sectors of Hong Kong society donated to support those affected by the fire, and many volunteers, university students, and community service workers offered various forms of assistance to the displaced residents.

At Tai Po Community Centre, where some residents are staying temporarily due to the lack of suitable housing, local district councilor Dominic Lee told the Global Times on Thursday that he is helping affected residents with registration, resource distribution, and medication provision. 

"Some residents are long-term patients whose medicines were left at home, so the Hospital Authority has coordinated the delivery of their medications through social services to the shelters," he said. 

A number of residents and volunteers have also been assisting with relief efforts, and many young people spontaneously came to deliver and organize supplies, including bedding, portable chargers, and other essentials, Dominic Lee said.

He also stressed that with the safety of residents as the top priority, establishing a proper long-term resettlement plan has become the most important task at present.

Investigation in focus 

During the rescue operation, public attention was focused not only on the resettlement and follow-up assistance for affected residents, but also—most intensely—on the cause of such a rapid, large-scale blaze that engulfed a cluster of densely packed residential buildings. 

In many on-site images, what shocked people most was the extensive exterior bamboo scaffolding and the highly flammable construction materials that appeared to accelerate the spread of the fire.

Why the fire spread so quickly and burned for so long has become the question on everyone's mind who is following this disaster. 

Although the Hong Kong government has not yet released the specific cause of the fire, local police arrested on Thursday morning three individuals connected to the company responsible for the renovation work at the residential compound, including two directors and an engineering consultant, on suspicion of manslaughter, according to media reports. 

Police stated they had reason to believe that serious negligence by those in charge of the construction company contributed to the fire.

In addition, in view of the immense public interest involved, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong set up a task force on Thursday to launch a full investigation into possible corruption in the grand renovation project of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

Lee Kwong-sing, chairman of Hong Kong Institute of Safety Practitioner, told the Global Times on Thursday that the rapid spread of the blaze was largely due to the use of foam sealant around window frames on the exterior walls. The highly flammable material is used as a temporary sealing measure, and the company clearly failed to take its fire risk into account. 

"Based on the information available, it is obvious that safety considerations were not incorporated at the design stage of the project," he said. 

There were likely large amounts of combustible construction materials on the scaffolding—such as paper bags and packaging boxes. Once this type of waste ignites, it becomes uncontrollable. The safety nets also lacked fire-retardant properties, which allowed the fire to surge upward, Lee Kwong-sing explained.

After the fire broke out, some discussions also emerged over whether Hong Kong should continue using bamboo scaffolding in building maintenance projects, which is seen as a tradition in the city.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Executive John Lee addressed the issue, saying the government has begun inspecting, in phases, buildings across the city that are undergoing exterior wall repairs and have scaffolding and protective netting in place. He added that the Development Bureau has met with industry representatives to discuss a roadmap for replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal alternatives.