Hong Kong blaze: what we know so far
Almost 280 people are still missing amid the Hong Kong blaze that has killed at least 44 people and left dozens more in critical condition.
Our just-launched rundown on what we know so far about the fire also details how it has not yet been fully extinguished but the flames in the four buildings are under control.
The Wang Fuk Court complex is made up of eight 32-storey towers, containing about 2,000 flats, and were being renovated at the time.
Three men aged between 52 and 68 were, as reported, arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of manslaughter.
Firefighters and rescue crews started searching the lower levels of some of the buildings on Thursday. Twenty-six rescue teams are on site.
More than 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters as the rescue work continues.
See the full rundown here:
Key events
Here are some fresh shots that have arrived from the fire scene in Hong Kong.
Circling back to the start of the fire, officials said it began on the external scaffolding of one of the buildings mid-afternoon on Wednesday and later spread inside it and then to nearby buildings, probably assisted by windy conditions.
Fire chiefs said the high temperatures at the scene made it difficult for crews to mount rescue operations. A column of flames and thick smoke rose as the blaze spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the buildings.
Firefighters aimed water at the intense flames from high up on ladder trucks, as the Associated Press reported.
The blaze was upgraded to a level 5 alarm – the highest level of severity – as night fell. Firefighters deployed more than 200 fire vehicles and about 100 ambulances.
By early Thursday the blaze had been brought under control but firefighters are continuing to extinguish it entirely.
Noting now that while Hong Kong leader John Lee said early on Thursday that 279 people were unaccounted for, firefighters said later that they had established contact with some of them.
Lee said more than 900 people had sought refuge at temporary shelters.
A police officer at one of the shelters told AFP it was unclear how many people were unaccounted for because residents were still trickling in late into the night to report missing family members.
Among the 44 confirmed dead was a 37-year-old firefighter who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues, said fire service director Andy Yeung.
More word here from residents of the Hong Kong neighbourhood where the fire broke out.
“I truly think it’s very scary. I am watching it spread from just one building to three, then four,” Veezy Chan, 25, said on Wednesday. “It’s really terrifying.”
Shirley Chan called the tragedy terribly sad. “Imagine a home – gone, burnt. Anyone would be heartbroken. I can relate to that; it’s truly heartbreaking.
A home, gone in flames. I can’t even put it into words.
Agence France-Presse also quoted a 65-year-old surnamed Yuen as saying his neighbourhood was home to many elderly residents who used wheelchairs and walkers, and the fire left him and his wife homeless.
He said that since the apartment complex was undergoing maintenance, many residents kept their windows shut, so they did not hear the fire alarm.
Residents also said they had never anticipated the flames would spread to other buildings with the wind and burn all night long.
Chan said she “watched the fire burn and couldn’t do anything”.
Here are two of the latest images coming in as Hong Kong firefighters continue work to fully extinguish the devastating blaze.
Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
It’s approaching 8.45am in Hong Kong and firefighters are still dousing the blaze that has torn through the high-rise complex.
After daybreak on Thursday some flats were still burning but the fire had noticeably dimmed during the early hours of the morning, Agence France-Presse is reporting.
Hong Kong blaze: what we know so far
Almost 280 people are still missing amid the Hong Kong blaze that has killed at least 44 people and left dozens more in critical condition.
Our just-launched rundown on what we know so far about the fire also details how it has not yet been fully extinguished but the flames in the four buildings are under control.
The Wang Fuk Court complex is made up of eight 32-storey towers, containing about 2,000 flats, and were being renovated at the time.
Three men aged between 52 and 68 were, as reported, arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of manslaughter.
Firefighters and rescue crews started searching the lower levels of some of the buildings on Thursday. Twenty-six rescue teams are on site.
More than 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters as the rescue work continues.
See the full rundown here:
The cause of the Hong Kong blaze is not yet known but the fire has been fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding – a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
On mainland China, where use of bamboo in construction originated from ancient times, scaffolding is now mainly metal, Reuters reports.
Hong Kong’s government moved to start phasing out bamboo scaffolding in March, citing worker safety after 22 deaths involving bamboo scaffolders between 2019 and 2024.
It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
‘It’s heartbreaking’
Word from residents of the housing complex has been coming through, including a 71-year-old resident surnamed Wong who said through tears that his wife was trapped inside.
Harry Cheung, who has lived at block 2 in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud noise about 2.45pm and saw fire erupt in a nearby block.
“I immediately went back to pack up my things,” the 66-year-old told Reuters.
I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight because I probably won’t be able to go back home.
Dozens of stunned residents, many sobbing, have been watching the blaze as smoke billowed from the housing complex.
“There’s nothing that can be done about the property. We can only hope that everyone, no matter old or young, can return safely,” a Tai Po resident who gave their surname as So told Agence France-Presse near the scene.
It’s heartbreaking. We’re worried there are people trapped inside.
China’s leader Xi Jinping has urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the Hong Kong fire and to minimise casualties and losses, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV has reported.
He also extended condolences to victims’ families and others affected.
Section of the Tai Po Road closed
An entire section of the Tai Po Road – one of Hong Kong’s two main highways – has been closed due to the fire, and buses are being diverted.
At least six schools will be closed on Thursday because of the fire and traffic congestion, Reuters quoted the city’s education bureau as saying.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated areas. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with about 300,000 residents.
Here’s the latest on the fire
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Forty-four people are confirmed dead after Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades, with dozens more currently in hospital. At least 279 people are still missing as firefighters and rescue crews begin searching some of the buildings.
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The fires have not been fully extinguished, although the flames in four buildings are under control.
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Three people were arrested early this morning local time on suspicion of manslaughter. Police did not provide any details about what the trio were accused of doing, although a police spokesperson told the New York Times they are two directors of a construction company and one consultant.
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Officials said they will look at materials used in the buildings exterior they say may have contributed to the blaze, as well as the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the towers, which were undergoing renovations.
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More than 900 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters as the rescue work continues.
Evacuees from the Wang Fuk Court residential estate rest in nearby shelters.
Fire under control at four buildings in Wang Fuk Court complex
The flames at four of the residential buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex are now under control. The South China Morning Post reports search efforts have started in those buildings on lower levels, with rescue teams slowly moving up through the 13th to 23rd floors of some of those towers.
They are expected to reach the top floors in the coming hours, with 26 rescue teams on site.
The South China Morning Post also reports that police said they have not ruled out foam materials used to seal windows on the buildings and for other purposes contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Police confirm three people arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
Hong Kong police confirmed three people between the ages of 52 and 68 have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
