Hong Kong Firefighters Conclude Search After High-Rise Inferno Leaves 94 Dead

Fire crews in Hong Kong completed an apartment-by-apartment sweep on Friday, wrapping up a two-day operation at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po after a five-alarm blaze killed at least 94 people and injured more than 70. The fire, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon, spread rapidly through seven of the complex’s eight residential towers, making it one of the territory’s deadliest disasters in decades.

Deputy Fire Services Director Derek Armstrong Chan said teams focused their final push on 25 units that had placed emergency calls during the height of the incident but could not be reached. Those apartments, situated mostly on higher floors, were among the last areas where flames were extinguished. By late Friday, officials indicated that all accessible units had been entered, and no additional survivors were expected to be found.

Wang Fuk Court, built in the 1980s and currently undergoing a large-scale renovation, contained nearly 2,000 flats housing an estimated 4,800 residents. Authorities have yet to confirm how many people were inside the seven affected towers when the fire erupted. As of early Thursday, 279 residents remained uncontacted. About 900 displaced occupants were relocated to temporary shelters in the district.

The blaze ignited in one tower shortly after 3 p.m. Wednesday and leapt to neighboring blocks within minutes. Investigators believe bamboo scaffolding wrapped in plastic netting, installed for the refurbishment project, acted as a conduit, carrying flames vertically and laterally until seven buildings were ablaze. More than 1,000 firefighters, assisted by aerial ladder units and high-rise water jets, managed to bring the fire under control roughly 24 hours later. Isolated pockets continued to smolder on Friday, sending intermittent plumes of smoke from the charred façades.

Initial assessments point to possible failures in fire-resistant cladding and other exterior materials. Police reported finding plastic foam panels—classified as highly combustible—fixed to window areas near elevator lobbies in the one tower that escaped serious damage. The panels are believed to have been installed by the renovation contractor, though their intended function has not been determined.

Three men, identified as company directors and an engineering consultant for Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. Investigators allege gross negligence in the selection or installation of building materials and in site safety management. The Independent Commission Against Corruption announced a parallel inquiry into whether bribery or other misconduct contributed to substandard renovation practices.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited the incident command center early Thursday, pledging a comprehensive review of building-site controls. Regulatory agencies have begun urgent inspections of other public housing estates that are enclosed in scaffolding, aiming to verify compliance with the city’s Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance and related codes. Guidance from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department underscores that exterior coverings and temporary works must achieve specific fire-resistance ratings to prevent rapid flame spread.

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Among the injured were 11 firefighters who sustained heat exhaustion and minor burns during interior search and rescue efforts. Hospitals in the New Territories East Cluster treated most civilian casualties, with several patients still listed in critical condition on Friday evening.

Wang Fuk Court’s residents include a large proportion of older adults, many of whom have limited mobility. The casualty toll surpassed that of a 1996 commercial-tower fire in Kowloon that claimed 41 lives, marking the worst urban fire in Hong Kong in nearly 30 years.

With the rescue phase officially concluded, authorities are expected to shift focus to victim identification, structural assessments and potential criminal proceedings. Final tallies of fatalities and missing persons will be released after forensic teams complete unit-by-unit examinations and reconcile occupant registers with shelter records.

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