## Deadliest Hong Kong fire in decades
Firefighters in Hong Kong have spent a second consecutive day battling a massive blaze at a residential complex that has killed at least 94 people, making it the most lethal fire in the city in roughly 60 years. The fire broke out at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the Tai Po area and has left hundreds of residents unaccounted for.
## Current situation and casualties
Officials announced that the fire in four blocks of the Wang Fuk Court estate is largely under control, although occasional sparks and thick smoke still rise from the buildings. As of early Friday morning, authorities reported at least 94 fatalities, including one firefighter, and more than 70 injured people suffering mainly from burns and smoke inhalation.
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee said that communication has been lost with 279 people linked to the complex, and rescuers are still trying to reach those believed to be trapped in upper-floor apartments. Emergency teams continue to search apartment by apartment to find survivors and recover victims.
## How the fire started and spread
The blaze began on Wednesday afternoon on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting covering parts of the complex during renovation work. The fire then rapidly spread across seven buildings in the estate, helped by exterior materials that are suspected of not meeting proper fire resistance standards. Police also discovered highly flammable styrofoam fixed near windows and along elevator shafts in at least one of the towers that escaped direct fire damage.
## Scale of damage and rescue efforts
The Wang Fuk Court complex consists of multiple high-rise residential blocks housing thousands of people in a densely populated district near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China. Firefighters have searched more than a thousand units so far, using flashlights to move through charred corridors and smoke-filled apartments. Authorities have set up a system to register those injured or missing so families can obtain information more easily.
## Public reaction and wider concerns
The disaster has drawn widespread shock and sympathy across mainland China, where many people also live in crowded high-rise estates similar to those in Tai Po. Residents and experts are questioning the safety of building materials, scaffolding practices and fire standards in ageing or heavily renovated residential towers.
## Key figures
- At least 94 people confirmed dead.
- More than 70 injured, mainly from burns and smoke inhalation.
- Around 279 people initially reported out of contact or missing.
- Fire affected seven buildings within the Wang Fuk Court complex.
> “Many individuals in China are expressing deep sympathy and empathy for those affected. Hundreds of millions reside in densely populated urban areas, in high-rise buildings similar to those that caught fire in Tai Po.”
### Author’s summary
A devastating blaze at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court complex has killed at least 94 people and left hundreds missing, exposing critical concerns over fire safety, renovation practices and high-rise building materials.
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Al Jazeera — 2025-11-28