A declared fire in seven buildings in an apartment complex in Hong Kong has left 55 people dead, more than 60 injured in various conditions in hospitals and at least 279 missing, according to the latest figures released this Thursday (27/11/2025) by emergency services.
The incident, which was recorded on Wednesday afternoon, destroyed seven of the eight 31-storey buildings that make up the Wang Fook Court complex, in the Tai Po district, and became Hong Kong’s worst urban fire in three decades.
The fire broke out in one of the buildings and spread very quickly, fueled by bamboo scaffolding covered with safety netting, waterproof tarpaulins and expandable polystyrene panels used in exterior renovation work that began in July 2024.
The authorities consider the speed of spread “unusual,” and confirmed the presence of highly flammable expanded polystyrene materials inside the blocks.
As of early morning, the fires in the seven buildings were already under control, and only flames remained in three of them, after nearly 10 hours of continuous operations.
The fire department has deployed 1,250 personnel, 304 emergency vehicles, 26 specialized teams and four aerial surveillance drones, and continues to advance factory after factory in rescue and cooling missions.
Leaders warned of the risk of partial collapse of scaffolding from which fragments had already fallen, forcing employees to take extreme caution.
Arrest of employees responsible for the works
The police arrested two managers and an engineering consultant for the contractor responsible for the works, on charges of premeditated murder for using materials that would facilitate the rapid spread of the fire.
In addition, today, officers searched the offices of the complex management company and the home of one of the suspects, while the investigation into the origin of the incident continues.
CEO John Lee described the tragedy as a “massive disaster” and announced the suspension of all campaign activities before the Legislative Council elections on December 7, in addition to opening the door to a possible review of the election date.
At an inter-departmental meeting in the morning, Lee ordered immediate inspections of all residential areas in Hong Kong currently under construction to check the safety of scaffolding and materials used.
The wave of solidarity multiplied today with announcements of aid from the private sector.
The Jack Ma Foundation, Alibaba and Ant Group pledged HK$60 million (US$7.7 million) to support affected families and rescue services.
In addition, companies such as BYD, NetEase, Trip.com, ByteDance, and Didi donated HK$10 million each to the relief efforts.
This disaster far exceeds the toll of the 1996 Jarley Mall fire in Kowloon, which killed 41 people and was by far the worst accident of its kind in peacetime in Hong Kong.
CP (Effie, AFP)