Hong Kong fire: 65 dead, 300 missing in tower inferno, three men under arrest

David Wu

Distraught residents are beginning the search for missing loved ones after a deadly fire spread through seven apartment buildings at a housing complex in Tai Po on Wednesday.

Three men have been arrested over the blaze that has killed at least 65 people so far, while almost 300 others remain unaccounted for.

The city’s fire department confirmed on Thursday evening the death toll rose to 65 with a further 70 people, including 10 firefighters, injured.

The city’s leader John Lee, said fires in seven of the eight apartment blocks in the estate are “basically under control”. One building was not affected.

Flames and smoke tore through seven of the eight 31-floor towers of Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday about 3pm (local time), trapping many residents.

A survivor was found on the 16th floor of one of the buildings on Thursday evening, while earlier, an elderly man was rescued from another of the smouldering buildings, Hong Kong’s fire department have said.

“We are trying our best and we will not give up any chance to save lives,” deputy director of Fire Services, Wong Ka Wing, said at an afternoon press conference.

“This morning, we successfully saved an elderly male from the vestibule on floor 31 of the affected building.”

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Heartbreaking images have emerged throughout the disaster, with one woman in tears on Wednesday night telling the media her family was trapped in their home.

“My family is still inside — I can’t call them. I’m scared they’re dead,” she cried out.

Another fellow resident tried to console her, saying their loved ones needed them to be strong and that she should channel her energy to try to find them.

Others used cardboard and a pen to write their loved one’s name, asking neighbours and reporters if they had seen them and to let them know they were looking for them.

“Please, has anyone seen my husband?” a woman asked bystanders watching in horror.

One man played a voice recording from his wife trapped in one of the buildings.

“When it first started, I told her to leave, but the heat and smoke in the stairway and darkness forced her back inside,” he told reporters after playing the voice note.

“Her voice sounded like it was struggling in the last few messages.”

The man recorded a voice note to his wife in front of reporters and urged her to stay inside as firefighters were working their way up the high-rises.

Many of the residents were unaware the towers were on fire until it was too dangerous to leave, as windows had been boarded up during major renovations, one man said.

“When my neighbour evacuated the building, they rang my doorbell. I also told people to leave,” one resident near the scene told reporters.

Another local who lived in one of the buildings said he regularly smelt smoke and reported it to management, but they were told nothing could be done.

Earlier, a 71-year-old man wearing a yellow T-shirt was in visible distress at the scene, telling police his wife was trapped in her apartment.

The man, surname Wong, broke down in tears and could do nothing but watch and pray.

More than two dozen rescue teams are searching through towers to find survivors.

Three arrested

Police confirmed they have arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter due to “gross negligence” in relation to the level five blaze, the most severe rating in Hong Kong.

The trio – aged between 52 and 68 – were two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company, police say, and have been detained until detectives and fire officials can enter the building to investigate the exact cause of the deadly inferno.

Senior Superintendent of Police Eileen Chung said officers searched a tower that was not impacted and found “every floor” had protective nets, film and styrofoam which sealed the windows. She flagged the materials did not meet Hong Kong’s safety standards.

Investigators suspect that accelerated the pace of the fire, but could not confirm the theory until they could go into the towers, most of which are still smouldering.

“Police believe the construction company is responsible for the incident,” Supt Chung told reporters on Thursday.

A senior firefighter said efforts to contain the blazes in three of the four buildings are expected to continue into Thursday night.

Twenty six search and rescue crews are working from the ground floor up, with some reaching floors 13 to 23 in some of the burnt buildings already.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to victims and urged authorities to prevent further loss of life, state media reported.

Australians concerned for loved ones in Hong Kong can contact the emergency consular assistance line at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The number is 1300 555 135 or +61 2 6261 3305 if ringing from overseas.

It is the deadliest building fire since the 1996 tragedy when a commercial building, also under renovation at the time, caught fire during welding, killing 41 people.

Vets and volunteers work to save pets

As emergency services continue to search for the hundreds of missing residents, a group of about 20 volunteers including vets and vet nurses are working to rescue the pets who were inside at the time.

“So far we have rescued around a dozen cats and seven to eight dogs. Some tortoises too,” a volunteer with a local animal welfare group told Reuters.

Voluneers from animal welfare agencies have brought animal ambulances and oxygenated pet carriers to the scene.

Buildings under renovation

The fire spread through bamboo scaffolding and green mesh set up around the outside of the housing blocks in the city’s Tai Po district.

Live video from the scene showed an intense fire, with flames visibly licking from three towers through the afternoon and into the night.

Burning sections of mesh and other flaming debris can be seen falling to the ground. It is understood the flames quickly jumped from building to building.

Eight residential blocks in the housing estate had been under renovation since July 2024, with bamboo scaffolding – popular in Hong Kong – wrapping the outside of the towers.

The government had started phasing out bamboo in March after the reported deaths of 23 people since 2018 relating to the material.

Jason Kong, a resident of Block One, was stunned at how quick the fire spread.

He received a message alerting him to a blaze on the roof at 3pm (local time).

Mr Kong tried to go back into the building to get his dog but police would not allow him back inside. He fears his pet may have perished.

Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin earlier said the fire is suspected to have spread quickly from styrofoam found by officers inside the buildings.

He said the material caused more units to catch alight one after another.

The severity of the flames on multiple levels made rescue and firefighting efforts difficult for crews and meant they could only enter the buildings from the ground floor.

The blaze was reported mid afternoon local time on Wednesday and later upgraded to a No 5 alarm fire – the highest level – before 6pm, the city’s Fire Services Department said.

More than 800 firefighters from multiple districts and 98 ambulances descended onto the scene, cordoning off a large area.

Fire officials said it was a difficult scene to manage for crews, which included dealing with the intense heat, the pace it spread and explosions.

Footage from the scene shows a number of fire engines parked around the buildings, with enormous water jets mounted to long extensions aimed at the towers.

Residents trapped inside

The fire department said: “Residents nearby are advised to stay indoors, close their doors and windows, and stay calm.

“Members of the public are also advised to avoid going to the area affected by the fire.”

Those who are trapped inside have been told to close doors and windows, wet towels and slide them in the gap at the bottom of the door.

Hong Kong chief executive said the fire was under control in four buildings by early Thursday morning and showing no signs of flames.

But another three remain on fire.

Inside many units an ominous orange glow could be seen in the dark of the night from burnt out furniture and personal items.

Residents of the burning towers have been shepherded into nearby shelters, which are filling up with a stream of people including children and the elderly.

Wang Fuk Court, which opened in 1983, is home to around 4,000 residents, who live in around 2,000 apartments across eight blocks.

Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern part of Hong Kong in the New Territories and near the border with the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen.

– with The Su