HONG KONG – A massive fire ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Nov 25, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control.

“The Fire Services Department handled a total of 28 casualties, nine of whom were certified dead at the scene. Six others were sent to hospital in serious condition, and four of them later died,” Ms Chou Wing Yin of the Fire Services Department told a press briefing at around 8.15pm.

The announcement of the death toll and others who are trapped came as the massive fire engulfed multiple high-rise towers of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Nov 26, the government and Fire Services Department said.

Firefighters continued to battle the blaze as dusk fell, with thick black smoke billowing from the 31-storey towers and orange flames lighting up the night sky.

The housing complex is home to 2,000 residential apartments, comprising eight blocks.

The Fire Services Department told Reuters it does not yet have a figure for the number of people who may still be inside the buildings.

Firefighter among the dead

One resident surnamed Wong, 71, broke down in tears, saying his wife was trapped inside one of the buildings.

A firefighter surnamed Ho was among the 13 killed, the director of Fire Services said, and more than 10 people have been injured.

Mr Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived at the complex’s Block Two for more than 40 years, said he heard a very loud noise at around 2.45pm and saw a fire erupt in a nearby block. “I immediately went back to pack up my things,” he said. “I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight because I probably won’t be able to go back home.”

Building surrounded by smoke and flames

People gathered on a nearby overhead walkway, watching in dismay as smoke billowed from the buildings, some of which were clad in bamboo scaffolding, with local media reporting the units were under renovation.

Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road at the foot of the complex, according to Reuters witnesses.

Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with a population of about 300,000.

Wang Fuk Court is a complex under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme.

It has been occupied since 1983, according to the property’s website.

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.

The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety.

It announced that 50 per cent of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.

The fire department said it received reports at 2.51pm local time that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court. It was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the highest, at 6.22pm.

Hong Kong’s Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways, has been closed and buses are being diverted.

In April 2024, five people died after a fire broke out in a densely populated residential building in Hong Kong’s bustling Kowloon district. REUTERS, AFP