Hong Kong Tower Blaze Claims Dozens

A massive fire tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, killing at least 55 people and leaving around 279 unaccounted for, according to officials on Thursday. Flames ripped through seven high-rise residential blocks surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh, with one of the dead identified as a firefighter who had been battling the blaze. Over 60 individuals were injured and many residents remain trapped or unreachable.

Emergency teams deployed hundreds of fire vehicles and ambulances, while rescue workers strained to combat intense heat, thick smoke and falling debris. Authorities elevated the alarm to level five — the highest possible — as rush-hour evacuation turned chaotic and terrified residents fled into the streets. Many found shelter in makeshift community centres, with nearly 900 people reported evacuated.

Eyewitnesses described the fire spreading swiftly along the scaffolding before bursting into interior corridors and stairwells, trapping families inside upper-floor apartments. Officials disclosed the blaze began mid-afternoon and quickly escalated, fed by flammable external materials and worsened by gusty winds. Investigators have arrested three men from the construction company responsible, on suspicion of manslaughter, alleging gross negligence in use of unsafe scaffolding and potentially combustible renovation materials.

The housing complex, built decades ago under a subsidised-ownership scheme and home to thousands, had been undergoing renovation when the fire broke out. Bamboo scaffolding, still common in local construction though under stricter regulation, was widely used to wrap the towers — a fact now central to calls for sweeping safety reviews.

Hong Kong’s leader pledged a full safety audit of all estates under repair, promising stringent checks on scaffolding standards and fire compliance. The tragedy — the deadliest tower fire in the city’s decades-long history — has reignited public outrage over construction safety practices and the oversight of high-density housing projects.