Hong Kong reels from deadliest inferno in decades as 128 killed and many casualties

By Merzsam Singkee

HONG KONG: Hong Kong is facing one of its darkest moments in recent history after a massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po claimed 128 lives (as of writing), making it the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. As reported in the media, another 76 people were injured — among them 11 firefighters — while 25 calls for help remain unresolved as full-scale rescue operations continue.

The blaze, first reported at 2:51 p.m. on Wednesday, tore through the 31-storey blocks with terrifying speed. Videos circulating online showed bamboo scaffolding erupting into spiralling flames, while huge plumes of black smoke rose across the New Territories. Flames leapt from one building to another, eventually spreading to seven of the estate’s eight blocks. Burning pieces of the green mesh wrapping the buildings rained down onto the ground as residents fled for their lives.

Renovation materials linked to rapid spread

Authorities have confirmed that the blocks have been undergoing major renovations since July 2024 and were fully cloaked in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh sheeting. A preliminary investigation revealed what officials called a critical factor in the tragedy: highly flammable styrofoam used to seal lift-lobby windows on every floor.

According to SCMP, investigators found that this material, along with external sheeting that failed to meet fire safety standards, effectively turned the building exterior into a giant funnel for fire. As the styrofoam ignited, flames shot through the corridors and into flats, causing the blaze to spread at a pace firefighters struggled to contain.

By Thursday morning, firefighters had managed to bring most of the blocks under control, though three buildings still had fires burning on their upper floors.

Despite the ongoing danger, rescue teams managed to evacuate a woman, an elderly man and several pets from inside the blocks.

Arrests, criminal probes, and corruption investigations

The government has launched multiple investigations into what officials described as a cascade of safety lapses.

As SCMP reported, three individuals — two directors and a consultant from the contractor responsible for the renovation works — have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. They are accused of using non-compliant materials in scaffolding nets and sealing windows with flammable styrofoam, which authorities say directly contributed to the disaster.

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has also opened a graft probe into the renovation project, which carried a HK$330 million (S$55 million) price tag. At the same time, police are searching premises linked to the estate’s management company to determine whether oversight failures played a role.

City leader John Lee Ka-chiú visited survivors in the hospital early Thursday, later announcing citywide inspections of all public housing estates undergoing major renovations. He pledged a full criminal investigation into what went wrong.

President Xi Jinping also expressed condolences and called for “all-out efforts” to reduce further casualties and losses.

A city shaken

For Hong Kong residents, the tragedy is not only shocking but it is also deeply personal. Many have drawn parallels with past disasters involving poor oversight and substandard building works.

Community groups are already demanding a complete overhaul of renovation regulations, with some pointing to longstanding concerns about outsourced contractors and lax enforcement.

As authorities work towards recovery through piles of damaged floors and missing-person reports, calls for accountability have grown louder than ever. It is unfortunate, however, that it took a tragedy of such scale, with 128 lives lost, hundreds displaced, and a community traumatised, for such calls to be made, because one life lost is already one too many.

Hong Kong, accustomed to efficiency and safety in its built environment, now finds itself confronting painful questions about responsibility, negligence and trust. In this moment of grief, we express our hope that Hong Kong will find strength and unity as it mourns, heals, and rebuilds together.