Three suspects arrested in Hong Kong fire that killed 44, left 279 missing

At least 44 people died in the fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po District (Hong Kong, China), according to the Hong Kong Fire Services Department at a press conference on the morning of November 27, 2025. Forty-five people in critical condition have been rushed to hospitals across the city for emergency treatment.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee earlier stated that authorities had recorded 279 missing persons cases. The casualty figures may continue to rise as rescue teams attempt to reach apartments on the upper floors.

"The top priority is to extinguish the blaze and rescue trapped residents. The second is to treat the injured. The third is support and recovery. Subsequently, we will conduct a comprehensive investigation," Lee told reporters.

Nearly 900 firefighters and rescue personnel have been mobilized to the scene to assist in battling the blaze and rescuing residents at Wang Fuk Court. Photo: Reuters.

More than 10 hours after the fire first broke out at the residential complex in Tai Po District, flames and thick smoke continued to engulf the 32-story buildings.

According to the SCMP, by the early hours of November 27, 2025, the blaze in three of the seven affected buildings had been brought under full control, but the remaining four continued to show signs of the fire spreading.

Earlier, the fire erupted from bamboo scaffolding on the exterior of a building at Wang Fuk Court at 2:51 p.m. on November 26, before spreading to other towers in the eight-building complex. The fire was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the highest tier in Hong Kong’s warning system, late that afternoon.

On the morning of November 27, the fire had been fully brought under control in three buildings, while flames continued to spread in four others. Only one tower in the complex—Building No. 8—remained unaffected by the blaze. Photo: Reuters.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but officials stated that the flames spread rapidly due to strong winds combined with the green construction netting and bamboo scaffolding covering the exterior of the buildings, which caused the blaze to intensify.

The Wang Fuk Court complex—the site of the fire—has been undergoing major renovations since July 2024.

According to a preliminary investigation at Building No. 8, the only tower not directly affected by the fire, police indicated that all floors were covered with protective netting, waterproof tarpaulins, and plastic sheeting for the renovation work. However, it is highly likely that these materials did not meet fire safety standards.

Additionally, insulation foam (Styrofoam) used by many households also contributed to increasing the risk of the fire spreading when the incident occurred.

Some residents reported that they had previously complained about construction workers smoking on the job for months. Hong Kong broadcaster RTHK reported that local police arrested three men, aged 52 to 68, on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire.

Meanwhile, according to the SCMP, the three detainees include two directors and a technical consultant employed by a construction company.

Eileen Chung, a senior officer with the Hong Kong Police Force, stated that police are focusing their investigation on a maintenance company responsible for the complex where the fire occurred. "We have reason to believe that those in charge of the company were negligent, leading to the accident and causing the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in mass casualties," she said.

Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world that still uses bamboo for construction scaffolding. However, starting in March of this year, the city's administration began phasing out this material to improve occupational safety, following 22 recorded deaths linked to bamboo scaffolding between 2019 and 2024.