By Our Reporter
At least 44 people have died and nearly 300 remain unaccounted for after a massive fire swept through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on Wednesday afternoon. The blaze, which continued burning into early Thursday, is believed to have spread rapidly due to unsafe bamboo scaffolding and foam materials used during ongoing renovation works.
Firefighters battled intense heat and thick smoke through the night, managing to bring four of the eight residential blocks under control after more than 15 hours. Flames were still visible from several of the 32-storey towers.
Police said protective mesh and plastic sheets used on the buildings, along with foam-sealed windows in one block, may have contributed to the rapid spread. Three employees of the construction company responsible for the maintenance work have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
A firefighter is among the dead, while 45 people are in critical condition in hospitals. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the government’s priorities are rescue operations, medical support for the injured, and assistance to displaced residents. About 279 people remain uncontactable, and around 900 residents have taken shelter in temporary centres.
The Philippine foreign ministry said it was verifying reports that some Filipino domestic workers might be among those trapped.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimise further casualties.
The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of Hong Kong’s traditional bamboo scaffolding, which has been under a phased ban since March following multiple worker deaths. Although fire hazards were not originally a reason for the phase-out, several scaffold-related fires have been recorded this year.
The Wang Fuk Court complex, built in 1983 under a government home-ownership scheme, has been undergoing HK$330 million in renovation works for the past year.
@Reuters