Hong Kong Wang Fuk Court fire death toll rises to 128, authorities say: Everything you need to know

Where and when the fire broke out

According to Associated Press, the fire broke out on the afternoon of November 26 in one of the eight residential towers of the Wang Fuk Court complex, a privately owned, subsidised housing estate built in the 1980s. The complex, home to around 4,800 residents across nearly 2,000 apartments, is located in Tai Po, near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China.

Within minutes, flames spread rapidly to adjacent towers. By the time firefighters gained control, seven of the eight 32-storey towers were engulfed.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP)

How the fire spread

As per the authorities, the unusual rapid spread of the fire was driven by construction materials, netting, and bamboo scaffolding used for an ongoing renovation project on the exterior of the buildings. Bamboo scaffolding is common in Hong Kong, but in this case, it appears to have acted as a conduit, allowing flames to leap from one building to the next.

Once the fire was brought under control, the police found plastic foam panels, a highly flammable material, installed near windows on each of the floors of a tower. Investigators suspect these materials failed to meet fire resistance standards, accelerating the blaze.

Attempts to save residents

Over 1,000 firefighters responded, battling the five-alarm blaze for more than 24 hours. Even after the fire was under control, the buildings continued to smolder due to flare-ups. Fire services prioritised apartments from which 25 emergency calls were received during the blaze but could not be reached at the time. These were mostly on the upper floors, the last areas where flames were extinguished.

AP reported that more than 900 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters. Many casualties occurred in the first two towers that caught fire, which included a large number of elderly residents.

Residents 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, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP)

Firefighters faced extraordinary challenges:

• Ladders and hoses reached only 17–18 floors, far below the upper levels where many residents were trapped.
• Extreme heat prevented the use of some rescue equipment, including aerial operations.
• The intensity of the fire made it impossible to enter certain sections until hours later.

Independent probe ordered

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency and the police have opened a joint investigation into the renovation project.

Three men including the directors and an engineering consultant from the construction company overseeing renovations have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, The Guardian reported. Police suspect gross negligence in the use of unsafe materials.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP)

The police also seized documents from Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., in charge of the renovation of these buildings.

Authorities are examining whether fire safety standards were ignored, especially regarding scaffolding and exterior cladding.

Investigators also noted the buildings lacked smoke detectors, sprinkler systems, and fire refuge floors which are some of the features that are required in later revised building code but were absent in older structures like Wang Fuk Court.

Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, announced at a press conference that the government would set up a HK$300m fund to help residents. As per The Guardian, he also said that the city’s development bureau had discussed replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal alternatives and contractors across the Asian financial hub would be given seven days to submit documents proving their use of fire-retardant materials.

This blaze was Hong Kong’s worst since the 1996 Kowloon commercial building fire that killed 41 people, and among the deadliest in the city’s history.