The death toll in the Hong Kong fire has risen to 66 so far (Photo: AP).Hong Kong Apartment Fire Today LIVE news updates: Fire authorities in Hong Kong have concluded the rescue efforts for the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years tore through a massive apartment complex killing at least 128 people and leaving dozens still missing. The eight-tower estate housing more than 4,600 people had been undergoing renovations and was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh when the fire started and quickly spread on Wednesday afternoon. As many as 279 people were listed as missing in the early hours of Thursday morning, but that figure has not been updated for more than 24 hours.
Also read: How did the Hong Kong fire, which killed 83, start? What we know so far
It is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze. Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant of Prestige Construction, a firm that had been doing maintenance on the buildings for more than a year. On the second night after the blaze, dozens of evacuees set up mattresses in a nearby mall, many saying official evacuation centres should be saved for those in greater need.
Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, is scattered with high-rise housing complexes. Its sky-high property prices have long been a trigger for discontent and the tragedy could stoke resentment towards authorities despite efforts to tighten political and national security control. The leadership of both the Hong Kong government and China’s Communist Party moved quickly to show they attached utmost importance to a tragedy seen as a potential test of Beijing’s grip on the semi-autonomous region.
K-pop band aespa and other South Korean pop stars have announced a flurry of donations to support victims of an apartment fire in Hong Kong that killed at least 128 people in one of the city’s deadliest blazes.
Girl group aespa said they will donate 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($64,000) to the Hong Kong Red Cross, according to a post on their official Weibo account. (AP)
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Hong Kong's anti-corruption agency said on Friday it arrested eight people connected to the renovation of the high-rise apartments that were engulfed in a massive fire that left 128 people dead.
The seven men and one woman, from 40 to 63 years old, include scaffolding subcontractors, directors of an engineering consultant company and project managers supervising the renovation, the Independent Commission Against Corruption said in a statement. -(AP)
Hong Kong firefighters found dozens more bodies during an intensive apartment-by-apartment search of a high-rise tower complex, after a massive fire engulfed seven of its eight buildings, AP reported.
Crews prioritized apartments from which they received more than two dozen calls for assistance during the blaze but were unable to reach, said Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services.
Hundreds of volunteers are rushing to deliver emergency supplies to victims of Hong Kong's worst fire in nearly 80 years, sorting and distributing items from diapers to hot food and offering free counselling. Emergency workers searched on Friday for survivors and victims as scores of people are still missing after fire engulfed the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern district of Tai Po, killing at least 128.
Volunteers have formed teams to collect donations and supplies, organise transport and distribution of goods as well as staff day and night shifts in the aid effort. Across from the fire-damaged Wang Fuk complex, volunteers have set up a sprawling support camp for displaced residents beside a shopping mall. Blue and red marquees went up on Friday as volunteers handed out supplies from scores of cardboard boxes, while hand-drawn maps on cardboard showed directions to pick up items such as toiletries, bedding, clothing and pet supplies.
Disney has cancelled the Hong Kong premiere of 'Zootopia' after dozens of people were killed following the massive fire that swept through an extensive public housing complex in Hong Kong, marking one of the city's deadliest disasters in decades.
Taking to their Instagram handle, Disney informed that they have cancelled the screening of the film due to the "serious incident" that occured in Hong Kong. The screening was supposed to take place on Thursday.
It took more than 1,000 firefighters some 24 hours to bring the five-alarm blaze under control, and even nearly two days later, smoke continued to drift out of the charred skeletons of the buildings from the occasional flare-up. It was unclear how many people could possibly be inside the buildings, which had almost 2,000 apartments and some 4,800 residents.
Hong Kong firefighters combed through a high-rise apartment complex apartment-by-apartment Friday in a final attempt to find anyone alive after a massive fire engulfed seven of eight towers, killing at least 94 people in one of the city's deadliest blazes. Crews were prioritizing apartments from which they received more than two dozen calls for assistance during the blaze but were unable to reach.
Derek Armstrong Chan, a deputy director of Hong Kong Fire Services told reporters early Friday morning.“Our firefighting operation is almost complete.”
Death toll rises to 75 in Hong Kong residential fire, SCMP reports.
Death toll rises to 65 in Hong Kong residential fire, SCMP reports.
Hong Kong's deadliest fire in three decades has highlighted its risky use of flammable bamboo scaffolding and mesh for building work in a tradition dating back centuries to mainland China. Authorities have not determined the cause of the blaze, but images from the scene showed the fire spreading rapidly across green netting covering the scaffolding erected around the housing complex.
Some of the bamboo lattices crashed to the ground in flames. For decades in the skyscraper-strewn former British colony, bamboo has been the material of choice for scaffolding - cheap, abundant and flexible - bound together with nylon cords.
The craft originated on mainland China where bamboo, viewed as symbolising grace and moral fortitude, has since ancient times been a cornerstone of architecture, even reputedly used for scaffolding and tools in the building of the Great Wall.
METAL SCAFFOLDING BECOMING MORE PROMINENT
Now, though, it has largely been phased out in Mainland China for sturdier metal scaffolding and clamps. But Hong Kong, despite its modernity, still has around 2,500 registered bamboo scaffolding masters, according to official figures.
The number of metal scaffolders is around triple that. Small teams of scaffolders scrambling up vertiginous gleaming facades to sheathe a building in a matter of weeks is a familiar sight in the global financial hub.
The bamboo lattices are also often used alongside green construction mesh to prevent debris from injuring passers-by, as was the case in the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district.
Reuters
On Thursday, police officers searched the building maintenance company responsible for the housing estate, seizing documents that mentioned it, media said.
The government identified the registered contractor for the complex as Prestige Construction and Engineering Company Limited. Prestige did not answer repeated calls for comment.
Police seized bidding documents, a list of employees, 14 computers and three mobile phones during Thursday's raid of the Prestige office, the government added. "We have reason to believe that the company's responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties," said police superintendent Eileen Chung.
China's President Xi Jinping urged an "all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties and losses, state broadcaster CCTV said.
AP
Hong Kong Government announced the provision of 1,000 units of youth hotels or hotel rooms for residents to stay in for upto two weeks.
AP
Hundreds of people have been displaced by the fire at Wang Fuk Court. Many of them have been moved to temporary shelters now.
Major Chinese companies have stepped forward with contributions to support the relief efforts in the deadly fire in Hong Kong. Alibaba pledged an initial donation of 20 million Hong Kong dollars ($2.6 million) to aid rescue operations and provide temporary housing, essential items, and emotional assistance to survivors. Its logistics arm, Cainiao, has also been working to deliver emergency supplies, including food and bedding, to the impacted communities.
Jack Ma, the company’s founder, contributed an additional HK$30 million ($3.9 million) through his foundation.
ByteDance, the parent firm behind TikTok, committed HK$10 million ($1.3 million) toward emergency relief efforts.
Sportswear brand 361 Degrees announced a donation of HK$15 million ($2 million) in cash and equipment to support rescue teams.
Electric vehicle manufacturers BYD and Xpeng also joined the effort, offering HK$10 million and HK$5 million ($643,000) respectively.
Meanwhile, Chinese tech leaders Xiaomi and Tencent, along with apparel giant Anta, collectively pledged donations amounting to $6.4 million.
The Hong Kong administration will inspect "all housing estates undergoing major repairs" to check "safety of scaffolding and building materials". "The Government will make every effort to provide temporary accommodation to the affected families and has arranged enough social workers to provide appropriate support to the affected families and those in need, and will arrange for financial assistance as soon as possible to follow up the related after-care arrangements. In addition, the Government has arranged immediate inspection of all housing estates undergoing major repairs in Hong Kong to check the safety of scaffolding and building materials," Hong Kong Chief Executive John KC Lee has said.
Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has formed a Special Investigation Team to probe negligence in the renovation works. So far 55 people have been confirmed dead.
The death toll in the Wang Fuk building fire has now risen to 55, CNN reported quoting the Hong Kong Fire Services. The tally of the injured people, too, has risen to 123. This includes eight firefighters. Earlier one firefighter was killed during the rescue operations. Of the 55 deceased, 51 died in the residential complex and 4 succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Some are still battling for their lives at the hospital.
While 279 people had been initially reported missing after the fire, local authorities have been able to contact 72 of them. Hong Kong Fire Services Deputy Director Derek Chan said, as per local news agency RTHK.
Hong Kong’s Security Secretary Chris Tang was quoted by local media website RTHK as saying that the Wang Fuk Court blaze spread in an "unusual" way. This has prompted authorities to open a criminal investigation. Police have, so far, arrested three men — two company directors and a consultant linked to a construction firm — on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fatal fire. Investigators are still working to determine what triggered the blaze, and several critical issues remain under review.
Authorities are examining why evacuations from the tower blocks were not carried out more swiftly as flames moved from the first building, and whether combustible items, including polystyrene boards that had been placed over windows in multiple units, intensified the fire.
According to officials, firefighters discovered flammable polystyrene boards blocking windows, and the panels bore the name of the construction company. Other materials found in the apartments — such as protective nets, canvas sheets, and plastic coverings — are suspected of falling short of safety requirements.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced 2 million yuan (around Rs 2.5 crore) to support Red Cross emergency operations as authorities continue searching for those still unaccounted for in the Hong Kong apartment fire, reported CNN. According to the Red Cross Society of China, the contribution will go toward “emergency rescue and humanitarian assistance related to the fire,” with additional backing to be provided depending on the evolving needs of relief efforts. Xi has extended his condolences to those affected by the tragedy and called for “all-out efforts” from officials of the Central Committee and the Hong Kong Liaison Office, urging them to do “everything possible” to help reduce casualties and damage resulting from the blaze.
A 37-year-old firefighter has been killed during the rescue operations at the densely packed Wang Fuk court. Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed condolences over the death.
Data from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department shows casualties in fire incidents on a steady rise over the last decade. Deaths in the crowded city of 7.5 million have historically been low. However, official figures indicated that fire-related fatalities in Hong Kong have climbed over the past decade. According to the Hong Kong Fire Services Department, 33 people lost their lives in fire incidents in 2024. The department listed causes such as cooking-related accidents, improper disposal of cigarette ends, mishandling of matches and candles, and electrical faults. The city recorded 31 fire deaths in 2023 — then the highest annual total in 22 years, based on data from the Legislative Council Secretariat’s research office, reported CNN. A decade earlier, in 2013, the number of people killed in fires stood at just 12.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown. However, Tai Po administration officials quoted by The Guardian said it started on the scaffolding on the outside of the Wang Cheong House building in the Wang Fuk residential complex.
The fire in Tai Po district's Wang Fuk Court affected thousands of people. The complex comprises around 2,000 apartments, where 4,800 residents live. Among the residents are elderly people.
The Hong Kong fire in the Tai Po district residential area could have been prevented, say locals. The Wang Fuk Court has been under renovation for at least a year, a resident tells BBC. They say they often found cigarette butts near their windows, sealed from outside, left behind possibly by the construction workers. "People kept asking what would happen if there was a fire. Everyone was very worried about this," a 33-year-old local was quoted as saying by BBC. What worsened the situation during the fire on Wednesday, some of the alarms at Wang Fuk Court were switched off for renovation. many families are still untraceable.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te extended condolences to the Hong Kong fire victims. Informing that there are still people missing, he posted on X: "At this moment, let us all pray for Hong Kong together. I extend my deepest condolences to all Hong Kong friends who have passed away in this disaster and to their families, sincere sympathies to the injured, and hope that the missing can be safely found as soon as possible."
香港新界大埔昨晚發生重大火災，蔓延多棟住宅高樓。目前已有逾百人傷亡、仍有多人失蹤。所幸消防人員努力搶救，火勢已受到控制。
— 賴清德Lai Ching-te (@ChingteLai) November 27, 2025
此時此刻，讓我們一起為香港祈福。我要為所有在災害中逝去的香港朋友、及其家屬致上最深的哀悼之意，並誠摯的慰問傷者，也希望能早日平安尋獲失蹤者。
Chinese President Xi Jinping offered condolences for the firefighter
the blaze and extended sympathy to the victims’ families, state broadcaster CCTV reported. He urged authorities to do everything possible to reduce casualties. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee was quoted by CNN as asserting that the government would shift its focus to managing the crisis and suspend public campaigning for the December 7 Legislative Council elections. He did not say whether the vote might be postponed, noting only that decisions would be made "in a few days".
The Hong Kong fire in the residential buildings, which killed at least 44 people is still raging. CNN quoted a 65-year old resident at Wang Fuk Court as saying that he was lucky that his building, Block 1, which was in the easternmost part of the area, was relatively less damaged by the fire. He, however, said that the death toll is likely to rise even further as he feared many more still trapped in the buildings.
The housing complex, built in the 1980s, comprised eight blocks with nearly 2,000 flats and around 4,800 residents, including many elderly people. Major renovation work had been underway when the fire broke out.
Firefighters said extreme heat at the site hampered rescue efforts. Flames raced up bamboo scaffolding and construction netting draped around the buildings, sending a towering plume of smoke into the night sky. About 900 residents were moved to temporary shelters. Hundreds of firefighters, police and paramedics were deployed. Crews used ladder trucks to blast water at the upper floors as the blaze intensified. The fire, which began mid-afternoon, was raised to a level-5 alarm—the highest category—by nightfall, with authorities warning that conditions remained perilous.
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