A catastrophic fire tore through a residential complex in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong on Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and injuring many others, authorities said.
The inferno ignited at the Wang Fuk Court estate — a public housing complex comprising multiple 31-storey towers — around 2:51 pm local time. Within minutes, flames raced up the sides of several towers, fed by bamboo scaffolding and construction netting wrapping the buildings for renovation.
Extraordinary firefighting response
In response to the emergency, authorities mobilized over 700 firefighters, supported by 128 fire engines and 57 ambulances — one of the largest such deployments in recent memory.
As night fell, the fire remained fierce, with ladder trucks spraying water at flames shooting from multiple floors. The city’s fire services elevated the blaze to a No. 5 alarm — the highest severity under Hong Kong’s alert system — underscoring the scale and danger of the disaster.
Casualties, evacuations and human toll
Authorities confirmed nine people died at the scene, while four others succumbed to injuries in hospital, bringing the death toll to 13. At least 15 people were reported injured, several critically.
Tragically, one of the deceased was a 37-year-old firefighter, underlining the peril faced by first responders tackling the blaze.
About 700 residents were evacuated to temporary shelters at nearby community halls and schools, while many others rushed out with whatever they could carry. Some residents told media they lost nearly everything.
What made the fire so lethal — scaffolding, renovations and dense housing
The rapid spread of the fire has been linked to the bamboo scaffolding enveloping the buildings for renovation — a common but highly flammable material widely used in Hong Kong. Flames reportedly climbed the scaffolding almost immediately, accelerating the blaze’s engulfment of multiple towers.
Wang Fuk Court is a densely populated estate: eight towers, around 2,000 apartments, and housing nearly 4,800 residents. The cluster of tall residential blocks likely amplified the intensity of the blaze and complicated evacuation and rescue efforts.
Response, rescue efforts and what happens next
Officials say investigations into the cause of the fire are underway, with special scrutiny on the scaffolding, renovation practices, and fire-safety systems — including reports that some residents heard no alarms before the blaze spread.
The government has opened support and relief centers for displaced residents and pledged to review housing-safety regulations, especially concerning renovation scaffolding materials and emergency procedures in high-density estates.
For now, the tragedy stands as one of the deadliest residential-fire incidents in Hong Kong in decades — a stark reminder of the risks posed when high-rise living, renovation work and insufficient fire safety intersect.
