Source TOI
A devastating fire tore through a high-rise residential complex in the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po District, Hong Kong, on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least 13 people dead and many more injured or missing.
The blaze began around 2:51 p.m. local time and rapidly spread across bamboo scaffolding and construction netting on the exterior of the towers, engulfing seven 31-storey apartment blocks — part of an eight-block complex housing around 2,000 flats.
By early evening, the fire was upgraded to a “No. 5 alarm,” the highest emergency level used by the Fire Services Department (FSD), prompting a massive mobilization of emergency resources including 128 fire trucks and dozens of ambulances.
Eyewitness video from the scene showed dramatic flames and thick black smoke rising from multiple towers, with windows ablaze and fire crews using ladder trucks to spray water on upper floors — even as debris and burning scaffolding threatened safety.
Of the 13 confirmed dead, nine were pronounced dead at the scene, while four others later died in hospital. Among the deceased was a firefighter. At least 15 other people were injured, some critically, and hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters.
Local officials said the scale of the disaster is enormous — hundreds remain unaccounted for, and many residents are displaced, having lost their homes. The tragedy has sparked renewed scrutiny over the widespread use of bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong’s high-rise construction and renovation projects, long criticized for fire-safety risks.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. Meanwhile, rescue efforts continue under difficult conditions, as neighbours and relatives await news of loved ones still feared trapped inside.
