Fire in built environment
Details
Event title
China - Developing | 13 dead as searing heat hampers Hong Kong Tai Po blaze rescue efforts
Source
Main event
Event date (UTC)
2025-11-26 13:48:39
Last update (UTC)
2025-12-01 08:30:47
Severity
High
Area range
Local event
Address/Affected area(s)
Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Thirteen people including a firefighter have been killed and at least 15 others are critically injured in an inferno ravaging a housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood, as flames lash over bamboo scaffolding across seven blocks with multiple residents trapped inside.
Huge plumes of dark smoke billowed high into the sky at the scene at Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday, with the flames quickly spreading to seven out of eight blocks in the estate.
Police said on Wednesday that they had received multiple reports of people trapped in a building where the blaze started, with a man and a woman reportedly unconscious and suffering from burns.
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.
Footage from the scene shows bamboo scaffolding outside several flats of the building engulfed in flames, with burning sections of green scaffolding mesh falling to the ground.
Follow our live updates on the fire below.