Hong Kong’s fire department said it expects to finish search and rescue efforts on Friday after the city’s deadliest fire in almost eight decades swept through a large apartment complex, killing at least 128 people and leaving many still unaccounted for, as per CNN. Here are the latest updates
Fire crews bring blaze under control
Fire crews had largely brought the blaze under control at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a huge estate of eight towers that housed more than 4,600 residents. The buildings were under renovation and covered in bamboo scaffolding and green safety netting when the fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon and spread rapidly.
Firefighters were still working at the site on Friday morning as smoke continued to rise from parts of the complex. Deputy Fire Services Director Derek Chan said crews would force their way into every unit across the seven affected buildings to make sure no additional victims were inside.
Police said they have arrested three officials from the construction company on suspicion of manslaughter, accusing them of using unsafe materials, including flammable foam panels that were placed over windows.
What does the verified footage say?
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has said that the fire across all seven buildings is now mostly under control, though rescue operations continue.
Verified videos posted on Threads showed the first signs of the fire at the easternmost tower of Wang Fuk Court on Thursday, a BBC report said. The person who shared the clip said they noticed flames at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT), matching the time the Hong Kong Fire Services Department said it received the first emergency call.
The BBC report further added that within about 10 minutes, a witness said they saw the first fire crews arriving as the blaze quickly moved from the lower floors to several levels above.
Another video taken from a different angle showed the fire reaching the top of the building. By 16:10, a confirmed clip on social media showed the blaze spreading to at least two more towers, sending thick smoke into the air.
At 16:41, authorities confirmed the first death, a firefighter who had been trying to control the flames. The fire department raised the alert to a Level 5, the city’s highest warning, at 18:22.
More than a day later, new videos from the area showed smoke and some flames still coming from parts of the complex.
Will Hong Kong change its fire safety rules?
Hong Kong officials have begun a corruption investigation into the deadly Tai Po fire, raising questions about whether the disaster will push the government to tighten fire and construction safety rules.
Although the exact cause of the fire is still not known, police say poor-quality mesh and plastic sheets on the building may have helped the flames spread.
Construction expert Tan Kang Hai told the BBC that future building sites should only use materials with fire-resistant coatings and that these materials should be officially approved as fire safe to avoid similar tragedies.
He also said that better evacuation steps — such as residents shutting their windows and doors before leaving — might have slowed the fire’s advance.
Bamboo scaffolding, a long-used material in Hong Kong, has also been blamed for feeding the flames. The government had earlier considered slowly replacing bamboo with metal scaffolding, but some labour unions opposed removing it entirely.
People angry, claim fire was ‘preventable’
The shock in Hong Kong is quickly turning into anger after this huge fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate. People are demanding answers about how the flames spread so fast and who should be held responsible. Many residents are calling it a disaster caused by human negligence.
Several people living in the estate have said in interviews that the fire alarm never went off when the blaze started.
Kiko Ma, who owns a flat in the complex, told BBC that the alarms had been switched off during renovation work because construction workers often used the fire exits as shortcuts in and out of the building.
She said the tragedy could have been avoided and believes many people failed to do their jobs properly. She also accused the renovation company of using cheap and easily flammable materials. She added that residents frequently saw workers smoking and often found cigarette butts outside their windows.
According to her, many people had long worried about what would happen if a fire ever broke out.