Fire in built environment

What we know so far:

55 people, including a firefighter, have died. Fifty-one were found dead at the scene

76 people are in hospital – 15 in a critical condition, 28 deemed serious

Another 62 people are still trapped inside seven buildings

Full-scale rescue work is ongoing, with a woman, an elderly man and pets evacuated

The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh

Authorities say highly flammable styrofoam material used in renovation works caused fire to spread rapidly

Government has launched criminal investigations to find cause of blaze

Three people - two directors and a consultant of the contractor behind the renovations - have been arrested for manslaughter

Graftbusters launch probe into repair works that had price tag of HK$330 million

Police are searching premises of management firm running estate

Fires at four of the seven buildings have been put out and blazes in remaining three have been brought under control

Death toll surpasses 1996 Garley building fire where 41 perished

Campaigning has been suspended ahead of the December 7 Legco election, Lee says he will review need to postpone the poll

Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has ordered inspections of all public housing estates undergoing major renovations, with authorities launching a criminal investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades that claimed 55 lives at a Tai Po estate.

About 280 are still unaccounted for and rescue work continues amid flames now retreating onto the upper floors of three blocks in Wang Fuk Court. Some 76 people are in hospital, with 15 in a critical condition. Twenty-eight are deemed serious cases.

Raging flames at four out of the seven blocks 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 – two directors and a consultant of the contractor responsible for the renovation of the buildings – have been arrested on suspicion of 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 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 Lee 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, and the flames quickly spreading to seven of the eight blocks in the estate.

Initial footage showed bamboo scaffolding outside several flats 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