HONG KONG — A catastrophic fire that tore through a sprawling residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has claimed 44 lives, including one firefighter, and left nearly 300 residents missing as rescue operations continue amid smoldering ruins. In a swift development, authorities have taken three top officials from a construction firm into custody, charging them with suspected manslaughter linked to the blaze’s rapid escalation.
The inferno erupted Wednesday afternoon at the Wang Fuk Court estate, a cluster of 32-story towers housing thousands. It burned unchecked for over 15 hours, leaping from one building to adjacent ones and sending thick plumes of smoke billowing across the skyline. Even as dawn broke Thursday, wisps of flame and haze lingered, complicating efforts to reach those potentially trapped on higher levels. Fire officials reported partial containment in four towers, but three structures remain too hazardous to enter fully, hampering searches.
Investigators zeroed in on renovation work underway at the site as a key accelerant. According to the BBC, polystyrene boards were discovered blocking windows, trapping heat and fueling the fire’s spread. Bamboo scaffolding and green netting draped over the buildings likely acted as conduits, channeling flames to neighboring units. In a nearby unaffected tower, similar foam seals on windows underscored the firm’s lapses. Hong Kong Police Superintendent Eileen Chung described the actions as “gross negligence,” enabling the disaster’s unchecked fury. The detained individuals include two company directors and an engineering consultant.
This marks Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since World War II, eclipsing the 1996 Kowloon incident that killed 41. At least 45 survivors cling to life in hospitals, their injuries a grim testament to the blaze’s ferocity. Echoes of London’s 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy have surfaced, with cladding and safety shortcuts drawing sharp scrutiny.
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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee emphasized dousing the flames and extracting survivors as top urgencies. China’s President Xi Jinping, via CCTV, urged an exhaustive push to curb further losses. The crisis has rippled citywide: scores of roads barricaded, 39 bus lines rerouted, and six schools shuttered Thursday amid gridlock. The education bureau informed the BBC that 13 institutions would halt classes entirely, dispatching psychologists to aid traumatized children at relief centers.
As crews battle lingering hotspots, the community reels from a loss that exposes vulnerabilities in aging public housing. Questions loom over regulatory oversight, but for now, the focus remains on the living—and the missing.
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