Fury Grows After Hong Kong's Deadly Blaze Claims 128 Lives

Sat Nov 29 2025 09:58:17 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A catastrophic fire at Wang Fuk Court raises serious safety concerns as investigations reveal negligence in building renovations and fire safety protocols.

Hong Kong is grappling with shock and outrage following a devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, the deadliest blaze the city has seen in over 60 years. The fire, which lasted more than a day, resulted in the deaths of at least 128 individuals, and many residents remain unaccounted for. Investigators have arrested three individuals linked to the building's renovations, with questions arising over the use of substandard materials that may have exacerbated the fire's spread. As the community seeks answers and justice, residents voice fears over persistent safety issues in their homes.

Shock is giving way to anger in Hong Kong after a massive fire ripped through a densely populated subsidised housing estate on Wednesday, killing at least 128 people and critically injuring dozens.

Authorities say substandard mesh and plastic sheets on the buildings' windows may have spread the blaze, which raged for more than a day.

Firefighting operations have now ended, with dozens of residents still unaccounted for.

Questions are mounting as to how the fire at Wang Fuk Court spread so rapidly and who is responsible, with many calling it a man-made disaster.

Three people in charge of renovating the blocks are under arrest for manslaughter, and authorities have launched a corruption inquiry.

A post that has gone viral on social media in the wake of the blaze reads: It's not an accident.

Several residents have revealed in interviews that the fire alarm did not sound when the fire broke out.

Kiko Ma, who owns an apartment at Wang Fuk Court, says the alarms had been turned off amid renovation works, as construction workers regularly used fire escapes to get in and out of the building.

Ms Ma lives in Canada with her family, but visits the Hong Kong apartment several times a year.

This was preventable... A lot of people did not do their duties, the 33-year-old tells the BBC, claiming that the renovation firm used poor quality, flammable materials.

Residents often saw construction workers smoking and found cigarette butts along their window ledges, she adds.

People kept asking what would happen if there was a fire. Everyone was very worried about this.

This is Hong Kong's deadliest fire in at least 63 years - already having surpassed the toll of the August 1962 inferno in the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood, which killed 44 people and displaced hundreds.

According to the 2021 census, Wang Fuk Court comprises eight 31-storey buildings, and the complex was home to about 4,600 people - nearly 40% of whom were 65 or older.

The city's fire department on Thursday said firefighters faced major challenges trying to rescue residents, including high temperatures, the risk of further scaffolding collapse, and the small and crowded interiors of the apartments.

It is unclear how many people were in Wang Fuk Court when the fire broke out, but hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters, and some are being allocated emergency housing units.

While police are investigating the fire's causes, some argue that the bamboo scaffolding, a common sight in Hong Kong, may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Residents had expressed unease about renovation plans when they were announced last year, and reports of those concerns have now resurfaced online, inciting accusations about a lack of transparency.

Hong Kong authorities have ordered inspections of all housing estates undergoing major repairs to ensure safety standards are met.

As the community mourns, calls for justice and accountability resonate loudly.