At least 44 dead Hong Kong inferno: building material as fire accelerant
Rescuers are still searching for many missing people after the high-rise fire in Hong Kong. Experts want to determine the cause of the disaster. The scaffolding could also have played a role.
27.11.2025, 06:54
27.11.2025, 08:32
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- A 30-storey building complex continues to burn in Hong Kong.
- At least 44 people have lost their lives.
- Three people from a construction company have been arrested: building materials could have accelerated the fire.
- Despite the extreme temperatures on the upper floors, the fire department continues to rescue people and animals.
Investigators are still searching for the cause of the outbreak of flames following the fatal fire in a Hong Kong apartment complex. According to the authorities, the police arrested three people from a construction company on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.
According to reports in the South China Morning Post, officials also searched the company's offices. At least 44 people died in the most devastating fire in the Chinese special administrative region for decades.
The emergency services were still searching for almost 280 missing people. A further 45 people were treated in the clinics around the affected district of Tai Po. Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter who was found unconscious at the scene and died in hospital.
Firefighters rescue pets
According to media reports, the helpers rescued other survivors from the affected buildings. The fire department also brought several cats and dogs that had survived out of the buildings in the morning, as can be seen in photos.
Thick clouds of smoke continued to billow over the high-rise blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the morning, while firefighters continued their extinguishing work from aerial ladders, as live broadcasts showed. Classes were canceled at 13 schools due to the traffic disruptions.
The dramatic images of the category five fire went around the world. The fire broke out yesterday for as yet unexplained reasons and quickly spread through several scaffolded high-rise buildings.
The fire department reported extreme temperatures on the upper floors and difficult conditions for fighting the fire. In the meantime, the emergency services continued to bring the fires under control, but still reported flames in three blocks of flats.
Focus on safety standards
The first expressions of sympathy reached Hong Kong from abroad. The Consulate General of Great Britain expressed its sympathy to those affected and the rescue workers. Hong Kong was a British crown colony until 1997.
The diplomatic missions of Germany, the EU and the USA also expressed their condolences online. China's head of state and party leader Xi Jinping had already expressed his concern about the fire the day before and pledged Beijing's support, as reported by Chinese state television.
In particular, the authorities are examining the safety standards of the traditional bamboo scaffolding and the protective nets attached to it, with which all the buildings were clad due to renovation work.
Rescue work could still take a long time
Investigators found windows covered with polystyrene sheets - a highly flammable plastic often used as insulation material - and partially blocked, as well as suspected substandard building materials. Both could have contributed to the fire spreading so quickly.
The residential complex dates back to the 1980s and was covered in scaffolding for renovation work. The flames also spread quickly due to the wind and spread to seven of the eight buildings, all of which are more than 30 storeys high. There are almost 2000 apartments in the complex.
The blaze forced around 900 people to seek shelter in public shelters. According to reports, the authorities expect the rescue work to continue at least until this evening.
