A tragic fire in Hong Kong engulfed high-rise apartment buildings overnight, resulting in a death toll of at least 44 people with 279 individuals reported missing. Firefighters worked tirelessly through the night to rescue residents from the burning structures in what is considered the city’s deadliest fire in recent years.
The devastating fire broke out in a housing complex located in the Tai Po district, situated in the New Territories, on Wednesday afternoon. As of Thursday morning, the blaze was still raging, and the death toll had reached 44.
A team of 767 firefighters is currently battling the fire, which spread across seven out of the eight buildings within the Wang Fuk Court housing estate. Evacuations were carried out swiftly, with hundreds of residents being moved to safety. Additionally, 29 individuals are being treated in hospitals for fire-related injuries.
The housing complex, home to approximately 4,800 residents, including many elderly individuals, consists of nearly 2,000 flats. Constructed in the 1980s, the complex was undergoing significant renovations at the time of the fire.
Authorities have taken three individuals into custody on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the incident. Investigations are ongoing to determine if the building materials met fire safety standards, as the rapid spread of the fire was unusual.
The fire initially started on the external scaffolding of one of the towers and quickly spread to neighboring structures. Despite efforts to control the fire, it continued to escalate, emitting bright flames and thick smoke as night descended.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed condolences for the fallen firefighter and extended sympathies to the victims’ families. He emphasized the importance of minimizing casualties and losses in such tragedies. By midnight, the fire at three of the buildings was gradually being brought under control.
Approximately 900 individuals were evacuated to temporary shelters, but due to high temperatures, rescue operations were challenging for the responding teams. The fire spread rapidly along bamboo scaffolding and construction netting surrounding the buildings, requiring a massive deployment of emergency personnel.
Firefighters utilized ladder trucks to douse the flames from above, with the fire being upgraded to a level five alarm as darkness set in. Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations, highlighted the difficulties faced by rescue teams due to falling debris and high temperatures within the buildings.
Residents trapped inside the buildings made numerous distress calls, prompting a swift response from emergency services. Over 140 fire trucks and more than 60 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to aid in the rescue efforts.
Among the casualties was a 37-year-old firefighter, while another firefighter received treatment for heat exhaustion. Witnessing the destruction, a resident named Wu expressed frustration, stating, “I’ve given up thinking about my property.”
Tai Po, a suburban area in the New Territories near the border with Shenzhen, is where the tragic incident occurred. Bamboo scaffolding, commonly used in construction projects in Hong Kong, has raised safety concerns, leading the government to phase it out in public projects. This fire marks the deadliest in Hong Kong in recent memory.