Four people have died and several others remain trapped after a massive fire tore through a residential complex in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon. Thick plumes of grey smoke billowed from the high-rise towers as emergency services battled the flames in a desperate rescue operation.
Police confirmed the fatalities and said that two people were in critical condition with severe burns. The city’s public broadcaster, RTHK, reported that a number of residents were still inside the burning buildings as firefighters worked to contain the blaze. Several members of the fire services sustained injuries while attempting to extinguish the flames that ripped through the 31-storey towers.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the complex. Residents and onlookers gathered on a nearby overhead walkway, watching in shock as smoke poured from the towers, some of which were covered in bamboo scaffolding. Video footage showed firefighters directing powerful streams of water at the inferno from ladder trucks extended high above the ground.
The Hong Kong Fire Services Department said it had received the first reports of the fire at 2.51pm local time (0651 GMT). Within 45 minutes, the blaze was upgraded to a No 4 alarm, the second highest level in the city’s emergency response system. The department has not yet released an estimate of how many people may still be inside the affected buildings.
The fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a housing complex consisting of eight blocks and providing approximately 2,000 residential units. The scale of the incident prompted the closure of a major section of Tai Po Road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways. The Transport Department announced that bus services were being diverted as a result of the disruption.
Tai Po, located in the New Territories near the border with Shenzhen in mainland China, is a suburban district known for its dense residential developments. The use of bamboo scaffolding on construction and renovation projects is a common sight across Hong Kong, though earlier this year the government announced plans to phase it out for public projects due to safety concerns.
The blaze has raised immediate questions about fire safety in high-rise residential complexes, particularly those undergoing renovation. The presence of bamboo scaffolding around some of the towers may have complicated firefighting efforts, though officials have not yet commented on whether it contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Emergency services continued to work into the evening, with firefighters attempting to gain access to the upper floors of the towers. The scale of the operation, involving dozens of vehicles and personnel, underscored the severity of the incident.
As the city awaits further updates on the number of casualties and the cause of the fire, the tragedy has cast a sombre shadow over Tai Po. For the families of those who perished, and for those still awaiting news of loved ones trapped inside, the disaster marks one of the most serious residential fires Hong Kong has faced in recent years.
