Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades: Toll climbs to 94 as search operations near completion

A man walks near the scene of a deadly fire, which broke out yesterday at Wang Fuk Court housing complex, as efforts to extinguish it continue, in Hong Kong

At least 94 people have lost their lives and 76 others have been injured in the catastrophic fire that tore through a Hong Kong high-rise complex, the Fire Services Department said, as the city grapples with its deadliest blaze in decades, now close to being fully extinguished.

“Firefighting operation is almost complete. We will conduct forcible entry operation into all units in the seven buildings to ensure no one else is still trapped inside. This operation is expected to be completed by 9 a.m. Friday,” Fire Services Deputy Director Derek Chan said at an earlier press briefing Friday.

Authorities have not yet confirmed how many residents remain unaccounted for after the fire swept through the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Tai Po, an area once home to about 4,600 people. Chan said the number of missing persons will be verified once search and rescue work concludes.

The blaze, which erupted on Wednesday afternoon, was finally brought under control on Thursday, though pockets of fire continued to burn inside some apartments. Officials said the fire started on bamboo scaffolding set up for a HK$315.5 million ($40.6 million) renovation project and rapidly spread across the tightly packed cluster of towers.

Firefighters largely contained the inferno that engulfed the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, which had been under renovation and covered in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh. Rescuers battled extreme heat and heavy smoke for more than a day as they attempted to reach residents feared trapped on upper floors.

Video footage showed firefighters combing through charred apartment blocks with flashlights on Thursday night. Authorities said at a pre-dawn briefing on Friday that the blaze was expected to be fully extinguished within hours.

Outside one of the eight shelters housing around 900 evacuees, a grieving mother clutching her daughter’s graduation photo searched desperately for her missing family. "She and her father are still not out yet," said the woman, surnamed Ng, breaking down as she added, "They didn’t have water to save our building."

Police detained two directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction, the company contracted for estate maintenance, on suspicion of using unsafe materials. "We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties," police superintendent Eileen Chung said. Prestige did not respond to repeated calls for comment.

Authorities said they seized employee records, bidding documents, computers and mobile phones during a raid on the company’s office.

Pope Leo extended his condolences in a telegram to Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, expressing “spiritual solidarity to all those suffering from the effects of this calamity, especially the injured and the families who grieve.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced a HK$300 million (US$39 million) relief fund for affected residents. Companies including Xiaomi, Xpeng, Geely, the Jack Ma Foundation and Tencent also pledged donations.

On the second night after the blaze, dozens of evacuees slept on mattresses in a nearby mall, saying official centres should be prioritised for those in greater need. Across the neighbourhood, people — from elderly residents to schoolchildren — wrapped themselves in duvets and huddled in tents outside shops as volunteers distributed snacks and toiletries.

The housing complex, comprising eight tightly packed towers with around 2,000 units, housed more than 4,600 residents in a city already grappling with a severe housing shortage.

Police said foam material had been found sealing windows in one unaffected block, part of ongoing maintenance work. City officials have begun discussing phasing out bamboo scaffolding in favour of metal alternatives to improve safety.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties, state media reported. Both Beijing and Hong Kong authorities moved quickly to demonstrate the political priority attached to a disaster that could test public sentiment amid longstanding frustrations over housing and governance.