A catastrophic fire broke out in the early afternoon hours of Wednesday in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, devastating several high-rise residential towers and resulting in at least 36 fatalities, with hundreds still missing as of Thursday. The incident has sparked widespread mourning and a call for a thorough investigation into the causes of the disaster. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee addressed the public at a press conference, informing journalists that 279 individuals are still unaccounted for, while 29 have been hospitalized, with seven in critical condition. The Fire Services Department confirmed they received reports of a blaze breaking out at the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po around 2:50 p.m., and the situation rapidly escalated to a No. 5 alarm, the most severe rating in Hong Kong’s emergency system, by 6:22 p.m.
The tragic incident has drawn immediate response from both local and national authorities. John Lee announced the formation of a dedicated investigation team to determine the cause of the fire and assess the response efforts. A statement from the Fire Services Department confirmed that nine people were transported to the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and the Prince of Wales Hospital as part of the emergency medical response. Tang Ping-keung, the secretary for security, expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Mr. Ho, a firefighter who was killed while battling the blaze, offering condolences to his family.
Photos from the scene have provided a grim illustration of the extent of the destruction, with the bamboo scaffolding of the towers engulfed in flames and thick, dark smoke pouring from multiple floors. Firefighters were seen working tirelessly to extinguish the blaze, with one man caught on camera expressing visible distress as he feared his wife was trapped inside the building. Residents and local officials have raised concerns about the fire alarm system, with one retiree, Chan Kwong-tak, reporting that the alarms failed to activate when the blaze broke out, even though the buildings were equipped with them. ‘If someone was sleeping then, they were done,’ he said, highlighting the potential failure of critical safety measures.
Tai Po’s former district councillor, Herman Yiu Kwan-ho, corroborated these claims, noting that residents reported not hearing the fire alarms despite detecting the smell of smoke. He said they were only alerted when a security guard knocked on their doors, leaving little time to escape. The affected community is now being offered temporary shelters at the Kwong Fuk Community Hall and the Tung Cheong Street Community Hall as part of the emergency response efforts. The incident has underscored the need for a comprehensive review of safety protocols in multi-story residential buildings, especially in high-density urban areas like Tai Po. This tragedy has not only shaken the local community but also prompted a broader conversation about fire safety and emergency preparedness in Hong Kong.