Hong Kong Apartment Inferno Leaves Four Dead, Dozens Displaced

A massive Hong Kong high-rise fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po has left four people dead, several others critically injured, and dozens displaced, reigniting concerns over fire safety in one of the world's densest cities.

Authorities say the blaze, which began on the afternoon of 26 November 2025, ripped across multiple towers after flames spread through bamboo scaffolding and construction netting wrapped around the buildings' exteriors.

According to officials quoted by the Associated Press and Reuters, the fire was eventually raised to a No. 5 alarm, Hong Kong's highest severity level, as hundreds of firefighters battled towering flames and thick black smoke.

How The Tai Po High-Rise Fire Unfolded

Hong Kong's Fire Services Department said it first received reports of a fire at Wang Fuk Court, a large public housing complex in the northern New Territories, at about 2.51 pm local time. The alarm level was quickly escalated as video showed at least five blocks ablaze, with flames shooting from windows and smoke pouring across the Tai Po skyline.

Live footage published by outlets including ABC News and the Independent showed firefighters deploying ladder trucks and directing water jets from height as sections of external scaffolding appeared to buckle and fall. A significant stretch of Tai Po Road, one of Hong Kong's key highways, was closed, and buses were diverted while emergency crews worked at the scene.

Police told local media they had received multiple calls from residents trapped inside the towers, with rescuers using ladders and internal stairwells to bring people out as smoke filled corridors.

Bamboo Scaffolding And Construction Netting Drove The Spread

Images from the scene show flames racing up and across the bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh surrounding parts of the estate, effectively turning the exterior works into a pathway for the fire. The Associated Press reported that the blaze 'spread on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting' that had been erected for renovation work, allowing it to jump across multiple façade sections.

Wang Fuk Court, comprising eight residential blocks and nearly 2,000 flats, is one of the larger housing estates in Tai Po.

Hong Kong is among the last major cities to use bamboo scaffolding extensively. However, Reuters notes that the government began phasing it out on some public projects earlier this year because of safety concerns.

Fire engineers quoted in local coverage have long warned that dense high-rises wrapped in combustible materials, combined with ageing infrastructure, create complex risks when major blazes break out.

Casualties, Evacuations And Anxious Residents

In an evening statement, the Hong Kong government confirmed at least four deaths and five people taken to the hospital, including three in critical condition, one serious and one stable. Officials said one of the dead was a firefighter; another firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.

Local media and international outlets such as Radio New Zealand and Hindustan Times reported that more residents were believed to be trapped or unaccounted for as night fell. However, authorities cautioned that numbers could change as searches continued.

District officials opened temporary shelters at nearby community centres for families forced to flee their homes. The Fire Services Department urged people living near the estate to stay indoors, close windows, and avoid the affected area until smoke levels dropped.

Renewed Scrutiny Of Hong Kong's High-Rise Fire Safety

The Tai Po blaze is one of the deadliest residential fires Hong Kong has seen in recent years, following a fatal high-rise fire in Kowloon in 2024. The tragedy has already prompted fresh debate over whether regulatory changes are keeping pace with the realities of dense, vertical living.

Commentators in regional media have questioned whether the oversight of scaffolding, evacuation planning, and façade materials is adequate for estates on the scale of Wang Fuk Court. Lawmakers and community leaders are calling for a formal investigation into the blaze, along with a broader review of how renovation work is managed on occupied residential towers.

As inquiries begin, residents who escaped the inferno are left counting their losses, while families of the dead and injured press for answers about how a construction-fed fire could spread so quickly across multiple blocks in a modern Asian financial hub.