Hong Kong fire: A deadly fire swept through Wang Fuk Court, a public housing estate near Tai Po Market MTR Station in Hong Kong, on Wednesday, taking the lives of at least 55 people and displacing thousands of residents. Authorities, per a report by WSJ, report that at least seven people remain in critical condition.
At least 55 dead, thousands displaced
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, early police findings cited by Reuters suggest the fire was started on bamboo scaffolding attached to the building. From there, it spread across plastic netting and foam insulation used for maintenance work. Renovation activities had been ongoing at the estate for at least a year before the fire broke out.
Following the inferno, around 200 fire engines and over 100 ambulances were deployed to contain the fire and evacuate residents. Emergency responders, after reaching the site, faced a complex rescue effort. Firefighters struggled to reach people trapped on the upper levels of the 31-storey towers, many of whom are elderly – nearly 40 per cent – or living with pets. The situation turned even more tragic when a 37-year-old firefighter lost consciousness after inhaling smoke and later died, WSJ reported.
The incident triggered the highest alarm classification at 6:22 pm, a level not reached in more than six decades, according to a report by Al Jazeera. Videos of the tragic incident are all over social media. They show towering clouds of black smoke billowing into the sky, while firefighters are racing against time to contain the flames tearing through the charred building.
#WATCH | China | Firefighting operations are underway and bodies are still being recovered after a huge fire that broke out at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong yesterday, claiming the lives of 44 people, with 300 people still missing.
— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2025
According to the Police, the… https://t.co/58KmXpq6uE pic.twitter.com/IqXAwDCLk5
About Wang Fuk Court
According to Centaline Property, one of Hong Kong’s largest real estate agencies, Wang Fuk Court, located in Tai Po District, is a housing estate. The construction of the estate was completed in 1983 and comprises eight residential blocks with a total of 1,984 units. Each unit ranges from around 431 to 485 sq ft in saleable area. The estate is situated near Tai Po Market MTR Station and falls under Primary One Admission School Net 84. For secondary school placement, it is included in the Tai Po District allocation scheme.
The estate features amenities for residents, including an MTR car park, as well as recreational spaces such as a basketball court and children’s playground or playroom.
According to figures cited by the property agency from Hong Kong’s 2021 population census, Wang Fuk Court was home to 4,643 residents, comprising approximately 1,000 females and 921 males living across the estate at the time of the survey.
The website also lists transaction records showing that units are priced from just over HK$1 million to around HK$3.7 million, with saleable area typically valued between HK$4,000 and HK$8,000 per square foot.
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee visited the injured in the hospital and later told reporters that every available resource was being directed towards rescue and relief operations. “In the face of this massive catastrophe, the government will be mobilising every resource,” Lee was quoted by WSJ as saying.
He noted that firefighters were still struggling to fully extinguish the flames well into Thursday morning, as hotspots continued to erupt throughout the building. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the disaster struck during a period of red fire danger warning in Hong Kong, the highest alert level, indicating extremely dry conditions in which even small sparks can quickly ignite major fires.
Reuters reported that three individuals linked to the construction firm were taken into custody on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire.
According to state-run Xinhua, Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed his condolences and sought updates on the rescue efforts and casualties.
