Friday, November 28, 2025 - The deadly inferno that tore through a high-rise housing estate in Hong Kong killed at least 75 people, with dozens of residents still feared trapped on upper floors.
Authorities have since arrested three people and launched a
criminal investigation into the blaze, which firefighters had battled for more
than 24 hours.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, said on Thursday evening
local time that the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the northern district of Tai Po
was “largely under control.” At least 70 people were injured in the fire,
officials said.
Firefighters were still working their way up to rescue
residents trapped by intense heat and the thick smoke that was pouring out of
the complex.
Though the origin of the fire was unclear, investigators
were focusing on the bamboo scaffolding and green netting that surrounded the
towers at Wang Fuk Court as renovations were carried out.
Experts said they appeared to help flames leap from building
to building as the blaze built into an inferno that engulfed seven of the
estate’s eight towers.
Police searched the offices of Prestige Construction and
Engineering Company, the registered contractor hired to carry out the
renovations, after earlier arresting two directors and an engineering
consultant on suspicion of manslaughter.
The city’s anti-corruption agency said it was launching an
investigation into possible corruption in the renovation project.
Lee said the government would set up a fund worth 300
million Hong Kong dollars ($38.6 million) to help residents displaced from
their homes. More than 500 people were staying at nine temporary shelters after
the blaze.
Lee also said the Hong Kong Development Bureau had met with
industry representatives to discuss gradually replacing the city’s iconic
bamboo scaffolding with metal, as the construction material becomes a focal
point of the fire investigation.
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