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What we know so far:
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44 people, including a firefighter, have died. Some 279 are still missing
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68 people are in hospital, 16 in critical condition, 25 deemed serious
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Full-scale rescue work is ongoing, with a woman and more pets evacuated from buildings
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The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh
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Authorities say the rapid spread of fire was “unusual”, with styrofoam material found in buildings
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Government has launched investigations, including criminal probes, to find cause of deadly blaze
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Three people – two directors and a consultant of the contractor behind the renovation work – have been arrested for manslaughter
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Police are searching premises of management firm running the housing estate
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Blazes in four of the seven buildings were brought under control by early morning, after nearly 10 hours. Three more are still burning but flames have retreated to upper floors
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Chief Executive John Lee has described the fire as a “massive catastrophe”
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Death toll at 44 surpasses Garley building fire of 1996 where 41 perished
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Electioneering activities have been suspended ahead of December 7 election
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Lee says he will review need to postpone the election
Hong Kong authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the city’s deadliest fire at a Tai Po estate that has claimed 44 lives and left 279 still unaccounted for, as rescue work continued amid flames now retreating onto the upper floors of three of the residential blocks.
As of 10am, 68 people are in hospital, with 16 in a critical condition. Twenty-five are deemed serious cases.
Raging flames at four out of the seven blocks in Wang Fuk Court have been brought under control while the three others still have fires on the upper floors of their 31-storey structures. Full-scale rescue work is ongoing and victims are still being extracted from the buildings.
According to a preliminary investigation, officers discovered highly flammable styrofoam cloaking lift windows on every floor, which authorities said caused the fire to spread more rapidly within the blocks and ignite flats through the corridors. The mesh netting and sheeting used outside the buildings also did not meet fire safety standards, officials said on Wednesday night.
Three people, including two directors and a consultant of the contractor responsible for the renovation of the buildings, have been arrested for manslaughter. They allegedly used non-compliant materials in scaffolding nets and sealed windows with styrofoam, which sparked the tragedy as the highly flammable substances caused the fire to spread rapidly.
President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences in a statement on Wednesday evening and called for “all-out efforts” to minimise casualties and losses. After visiting the injured in hospital early on Thursday, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu vowed to investigate the fire and the scaffolding.
The fire was first reported at 2.51pm on Wednesday and soon grew into an inferno, with huge plumes of dark smoke billowing high into the sky at the scene at Wang Fuk Court, and the flames quickly spreading to seven out of eight blocks in the estate.
Police said they received multiple reports of people trapped in the building where the blaze started, with a man and a woman reportedly unconscious and suffering from burns as being among the first victims.
The blaze was initially classified as a No 1 alarm fire but was quickly raised to No 4 by 3.34pm and then to the top-level No 5 at 6.22pm. In Hong Kong, fires are rated on a scale of one to five, with higher numbers indicating greater severity.
Initial footage from the scene showed bamboo scaffolding outside several flats of the building rapidly bursting into spiralling flames, before being completely engulfed in multiple towering columns of fire. Burning sections of green scaffolding mesh fell to the ground.
Hotlines for help and donations:
Casualty enquiry hotline of police: 1878 999
Health Bureau’s Mental Health Support Hotline: 18111
Tai Po District Office help desk at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital for assistance and public enquiries: 2658 4040.
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui (donations): 8209 8122
Hong Kong Family Welfare Society (donations): 2772 2322
Follow the latest live updates below and read about earlier events here.
Reporting by Ambrose Li, Danny Mok, Angeline Jiang, Fiona Chow, Willa Wu, Olga Wong, Natalie Wong, Mike Chan and William Zheng.