The death toll from a huge blaze that ripped through a Hong Kong housing estate has risen to 55, with hundreds still missing after the financial hub suffered its worst fire in decades.
Police said early on Thursday they arrested three men in connection with the inferno, after flammable materials left during maintenance work caused the blaze to spread rapidly beyond control.
Officers searched premises in a separate neighbourhood on Thursday morning, taking away documents in binders in relation to the three people arrested, who police suspect ‘acted with gross negligence’ by leaving foam packaging at the site of the fire.
Some 51 died at the scene in Tai Po, a northern district, while four died in hospital.
Fires in four of the eight apartment blocks in the Wang Fuk Court estate have been extinguished and three fires are under control. One building was not affected.
Firefighters were scouring the still-burning apartment complex for hundreds of missing people on Thursday, a day after the blaze tore through the high-rises.
The inferno took hold on Wednesday afternoon in an eight-building housing estate with 2,000 apartments and sent shockwaves through the city, which has some of the world’s most densely populated and tallest residential blocks.
Flames were still spotted in some of the windows while multiple fire hoses sprayed the scorched exteriors around noon on Thursday.
Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major works following the disaster, the city’s leader John Lee said
Residential buildings continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district on November 27, 2025 in Hong Kong, China
Crowds gathered in nearby streets and public areas to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort that drew people from across the city
Crowds gathered in nearby streets and public areas to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort that drew people from across the city.
‘It’s truly touching. The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support… It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love,’ Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station, told AFP.
Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major works following the disaster, the city’s leader John Lee said.
Multiple residents of Wang Fuk Court said that they did not hear any fire alarm and had to go door-to-door to alert neighbours to the danger.
‘The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,’ said a man surnamed Suen, recalling his plight the day before.
‘Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave – that’s what the situation was like.’
Another displaced resident, Wong Sik-kam, recalled how his son was one of the firefighters dispatched to the scene.
‘My son called me and told me about the fire… I thought it was just a normal fire, like a kitchen accident that would be put out. Who knew it would get so bad?’ Wong said.
People affected by the apartment fire in the Tai Po district rest at an emergency shelter, Hong Kong, China, 27 November 2025
A woman is seen crying near residential buildings that continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district on November 27, 2025 in Hong Kong, Chin
A man reacts, as smoke rises while flames engulf bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025
Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26, 2025
People look at flames engulfing a building after a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Wednesday, November 26, 2025
Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is one of the last places where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction
Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues.
He had been with the service for nine years.
Some 61 people are being treated in hospital. Fifteen are in a critical condition, 27 in a serious condition and 19 are stable.
In the early hours of Thursday, 279 were still unaccounted for, though firefighters said later that they had established contact with some of those people.
More than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters overnight.
Two of the deceased were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers.
On Wednesday night, sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning blocks and flames could be seen inside apartments, sometimes belching out through windows into the night sky, casting an eerie orange glow on surrounding buildings.
‘The temperature at the scene is very high and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying,’ said Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fire service operations.
A man carries bedding near residential buildings that continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district on November 27, 2025 in Hong Kong, China
Volunteers give out food and drinks after a major fire swept through several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 27, 2025
Residential buildings continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district on November 27, 2025 in Hong Kong, China
More than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters overnight
Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues
The fire department said it received reports at 2.51pm (0651 GMT) Wednesday that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, including ‘the firefighter who died in the line of duty’
The blaze was reported midafternoon Wednesday and was upgraded to level 5 – the highest level of severity
Firefighters work as efforts are underway to extinguish flames engulfing bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025
He said the wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another, although he added that authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, including ‘the firefighter who died in the line of duty’.
Lee said he was ‘deeply saddened’ and that all government departments were assisting residents affected by the fire.
Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived at Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard ‘a very loud noise at around 2.45pm’ (6.45am GMT) Wednesday and saw a fire erupt in a nearby block.
‘I immediately went back to pack up my things,’ he told Reuters.
‘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.’
A resident surnamed Wong, 71, broke down in tears, saying his wife was trapped inside one of the buildings.
On Thursday afternoon, some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes.
A pet dog with its owner rest at a temporary shelter near the fire scene at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Thursday, November 27, 2025
People gathered on a nearby overhead walkway, watching in dismay as smoke billowed from the buildings while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the complex
On Wednesday, the Fire Service Department said it does not yet have a figure for the number of people who may still be trapped inside
Smoke rises as flames engulf bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025
People eat a meal at a temporary shelter, after a fire started across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025
A woman reacts at a temporary shelter, after a fire started across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025
Volunteers distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall, while a few people gave out flyers with information about missing people.
Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighbourhoods.
However, safety measures have been ramped up in recent decades and such fires have become much less commonplace.
Firefighters battled orange flames into the night as thick black smoke billowed from the apartment blocks, which were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh.
Firefighters received reports at 2.51pm (06.51am GMT) Wednesday that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court.
The fire was upgraded to a No. 4 alarm at 3.34pm before reaching No. 5 – the highest level of severity – at 6.22pm. Strong winds fanned the flames, causing the blaze to spread to seven of the complex’s eight blocks.
Tai Po, which has a population of about 300,000, is a suburban area in Hong Kong in the New Territories, near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is one of the last places where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
It is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier in the year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns.
In November 1996, 41 people died in a commercial building in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996.
That fire was later found to be caused by welding during internal renovations.
A public inquiry yielded sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city’s high-rise offices, shops and homes.
The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety concerns.
It announced that 50 per cent of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
Wang Fuk Court has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million (£32 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
Owning a home is a distant dream for many in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets and where residential rents are hovering around record highs.
