Fire - Inferno in Hong Kong: Wang Fuk Court high-rise complex is on fire
Fire - Inferno in Hong Kong: Wang Fuk Court high-rise complex is on fire
Hong Kong/Tai Po, 26–28 November 2025 – A devastating fire in a high-rise complex in the northeastern metropolis of Hong Kong has claimed dozens of lives and left hundreds injured or missing. The fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po is already considered the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in almost 80 years.
According to the current status (November 28, 2025), the authorities report:
- at least 120+ dead (some sources speak specifically of around 128 fatalities)
- around 80 injured, including firefighters
- over 200 people are considered missing, some are still checking whether they were able to get to safety or are among the victims who have not yet been identified.
The figures are updated continuously – it is possible that the final balance will be even higher.
What happened? – The course of the disaster
According to operational reports, the fire broke out on November 26, 2025 at around 2:50 p.m. local time in the area of the outer façade of one of the towers of Wang Fuk Court. The complex consists of eight residential high-rises, each with over 30 floors, and offers a home to thousands of residents.
According to what is known so far, the source of the fire was on the outside of the façade, where:
- bamboo scaffolding for renovation work was installed
- , these scaffolding were covered with plastic nets,
- additional flammable insulation and insulation materials were
processed on the facadesStrong winds fanned the flames, which ate their way up along the scaffolding like in a chimney and finally spread to several neighboring towers. At its peak, according to eyewitnesses, up to seven of the eight high-rise buildings were on fire or were massively smoky.
The fire department classified the event as a five-alarm fire - the highest warning level - and fought the inferno for more than 24 hours.
Why did the fire spread so quickly?
Investigators and fire safety experts cite several likely factors that made the fire a disaster:
- Bamboo scaffolding with plastic nets
- In Hong Kong, the use of bamboo scaffolding in the construction industry is widespread.
- The scaffolding was clad with green plastic nets and tarpaulins, which are very flammable.
- As soon as a spot ignited, the fire could "run up" unhindered on the façade.
- Flammable insulation and cladding materials
- According to initial investigations, foams and other flammable materials were used on the façade and around window openings.
- These materials behaved like additional fuel in the fire and sometimes blocked escape routes.
- Renovation work & blocked escape routes
- The complex was undergoing extensive renovation.
- In some areas, scaffolding, material stores and sealed entrances are said to have made escape routes difficult or blocked.
- Residents report that they no longer had any orientation in smoky stairwells.
- Failure or defects in the alarm system
- Several witnesses state that fire detectors and alarm systems did not go off as intended or reacted too late.
- An official audit report had even assessed the risk as "relatively low" in advance - despite warnings from residents.
The exact cause of the fire (e.g. flying sparks, short circuit or work on scaffolding) is still being investigated; an official result is currently not available.
Human tragedy: dead, missing, survivors
Among the victims are:
- Families with children
- Elderly people who could hardly save themselves
- Numerous migrant workers, including domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia
Many residents were taken by surprise:
- some jumped out of windows or tried to escape via balconies.
- Others sought shelter in higher apartments – a fatal mistake, as smoke and heat accumulated upwards.
- More than 900 people had to be accommodated in emergency shelters, shopping malls or temporary collection points
Psychological support teams and aid organizations are on the ground to support survivors and relatives.
Investigations: Construction company in focus
The police have now arrested three responsible persons of the executing construction company Prestige Construction - two directors and a technical advisor. They are accused of negligent homicide / gross negligence.
Among other things, the following are involved:
- Use of unsafe, highly flammable building materials, although risks were known
- Inadequate safety concepts during renovation
- Missing or inadequate evacuation and emergency plans
authorities seized documents, construction plans and electronic data of the company to prove possible violations of building and safety regulations.
Reactions of politicians – and the public
The Hong Kong government and the Chinese leadership in Beijing have publicly expressed concern:
- Hong Kong's government announced an aid fund of HK$ 300 million for victims and families.
- Companies and foundations have pledged additional donations.
- Heads of state and government – including China's President Xi Jinping – expressed condolences and called for comprehensive clarification.
At the same time, public pressure is growing:
- residents and activists compare the event to the Grenfell Tower fire in London (2017), in which combustible façade cladding also played a decisive role.
- Relatives and citizens are questioning why, despite earlier warnings and other deadly fires in China and Hong Kong, highly flammable exterior materials are still being used.
- There are calls for a ban on certain insulation materials and a switch to safer scaffolding systems instead of classic bamboo scaffolding.
Classification: Part of a larger safety problem
Severe fires in high-rise buildings are unfortunately not an isolated case in China:
- Nanjing, February 2024: At least 15 dead in a fire in a high-rise residential building.
- Ürümqi, November 2022: Ten dead in a cordoned-off high-rise building - the incident triggered nationwide protests against Corona lockdowns.
- Shanghai, 2010: 58 people died in a façade fire on a 28-storey residential building, also during renovation work with flammable material.
The patterns are similar:
- Renovation work on the façade
- Scaffolding and tarpaulins as fire accelerants
- Combustible insulation / façade cladding
- Inadequate or poorly controlled safety standards
The fire in Wang Fuk Court is thus part of a series of disasters that repeatedly cause the same basic problems Profit pressure, lax controls and too weak enforcement of existing safety regulations.
What could
change now
: change now
In Hong Kong, concrete consequences are already being discussed:
- Revision of the building regulations for facades and insulation materials
- , stricter rules or a gradual phase-out of bamboo scaffolding with plastic nets for high-rise buildings
- , mandatory fire protection reports for major renovations,
- stricter controls of the Alarm and evacuation systems in existing residential complexes
long term, it remains to be seen whether politicians are actually prepared to draw consequences from this catastrophe – or whether Wang Fuk Court, like many other tragedies before it, will only briefly cause outrage and then recede into the background again in everyday life in the megacity.
Author: MF editorial team
Sources: REUTERS / The Guardian
Author: MF editorial team
Sources: REUTERS / The Guardian
