Firefighters in Hong Kong battled one of the city’s deadliest modern blazes for a second day on Thursday, struggling to contain flames that tore through multiple high-rise towers and left at least 44 people dead. Among the casualties was a firefighter, while 71 others were injured as the inferno continued to burn through parts of the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po.
The fire, which began Wednesday afternoon, quickly spread across seven of the estate’s eight residential towers. By Thursday morning, four buildings were under control, but thick black smoke still poured from the upper floors as emergency crews warned that operations could last well into the evening.
The disaster has plunged families into anguish. Lawrence Lee spent the night in a temporary shelter waiting for news about his wife, who became trapped after smoke engulfed the corridors. “Once she stepped out, everything was filled with smoke and it was all dark. She had no choice but to return to the flat,” he said.
Residents Winter and Sandy Chung described sparks raining down as they evacuated. “I couldn’t sleep the entire night,” said 75-year-old Winter Chung, still shaken as he waited to learn whether his home had survived.
Hong Kong police arrested three men two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter. Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung said investigators had “reason to believe” those overseeing the renovation works acted with gross negligence. Officers later searched the office of Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, seizing boxes of documents, though the firm did not respond to calls for comment.
Authorities suspect the renovation involved substandard materials that may have accelerated the spread of the fire. Police discovered Styrofoam, a highly flammable material, affixed to windows near the elevator lobby of an unaffected tower, raising further questions about the construction company’s practices.
Officials believe the blaze began on scaffolding outside a 32-storey tower before racing up bamboo scaffolding and construction netting, then leaping between buildings a spread likely worsened by strong winds. Firefighters used ladder trucks to douse the flames, but heavy smoke and intense heat hindered rescue efforts.
The housing estate, built in the 1980s, houses about 4,800 residents and nearly 2,000 apartments. Around 900 people were evacuated overnight as authorities scrambled to locate hundreds of others. By midnight, Hong Kong leader John Lee said contact had been lost with 279 residents, though updated figures were not immediately available.
Lee also announced immediate inspections of all major renovation sites across the city to ensure scaffolding and construction materials meet safety standards.
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended condolences to the families of victims and urged authorities to minimise further casualties.
The blaze is now Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades, surpassing the 1996 Kowloon commercial building fire that killed 41 in a 20-hour inferno.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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