At least 44 individuals, including a firefighter, have lost their lives following a massive fire that engulfed several high-rise public housing towers in Tai Po, marking Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in over six decades. As of Wednesday afternoon, 279 people remained unaccounted for.
The fire erupted around 2:51 p.m. local time (06:51 GMT) on Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a public housing estate near the mainland China border. Reports indicate that at least 66 people were hospitalized, with 17 in critical condition and 24 others in serious condition. Approximately 700 residents were evacuated as the blaze spread rapidly, fueled by bamboo scaffolding used in ongoing renovations.
More than 1,200 fire and ambulance personnel responded to the incident. By early Thursday morning, firefighters had managed to bring the flames under control in four of the affected buildings but continued to battle the fire in three others for more than 16 hours.
Authorities have stated that the fire originated on the bamboo scaffolding surrounding one of the buildings, which ignited easily and allowed flames to escalate quickly. The towers were also covered in green construction netting that caught fire and aided the spread to neighboring blocks. Local media reported that the fire intensity increased alarmingly, prompting an escalation to a level-four alarm by 3:34 p.m. (07:34 GMT) and to a level-five alarm, the highest classification, by 6:22 p.m. (10:22 GMT). This incident is noted as the most serious fire since August 1962, when a blaze in Sham Shui Po similarly resulted in 44 fatalities.
Wang Fuk Court consists of eight high-rise towers completed in 1983, housing nearly 2,000 flats. It has been undergoing extensive renovations estimated at $42.43 million. During inspections, police discovered construction materials that were not fireproof, including protection mesh and styrofoam along windows and external surfaces, which significantly contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.
Investigating authorities highlighted the role of the dry weather and the dense clustering of tall towers in creating highly flammable conditions, with the city under an extreme fire risk alert since Monday.
The police have indicated potential gross negligence on the part of those managing the renovations, stating, “This negligence led to the fire spreading uncontrollably and caused major casualties,” as noted by Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung of the Hong Kong Police Force. Officers have since arrested two company directors and an engineering consultant, aged between 52 and 68, in connection with the case.
Tai Po, a sizeable suburb home to around 4,000 residents, contains about 2,000 units, many of which provide subsidized housing. Some local residents have already resumed work and school, while emergency services continue search operations at the scene. Authorities are still investigating the precise cause of the blaze, with preliminary findings indicating it was a lethal combination of flammable renovation materials, bamboo scaffolding, and tightly packed high-rise buildings.
The post “Death toll rises to 44 in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in six decades” first appeared on Maktoob media.
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