Black smoke continued to billow in dense columns from the burning buildings as dawn broke on Thursday in Hong Kong. The sky had a gray tint, covered by a fine rain of ashes falling steadily on the surrounding streets. The smell of burning plastic and synthetic materials permeated the air, clinging to the clothes and skin of those approaching the area.
The magnitude of the disaster already makes it the worst tragedy in decades in Hong Kong: at least 55 people have died and more than 279 remain missing, according to provisional counts. Rescue efforts continue, and victims are still being extracted from the buildings.
Over 800 firefighters continued to work tirelessly to extinguish a fire that had been active for over 20 hours, an operation that authorities described as "under control", although flames still intermittently appeared from some upper floors at street level. During the night, around 900 evacuated residents sought refuge in eight temporary centers set up in different parts of the city. Many of them arrived with only what they were wearing, still in a state of shock.
The fire broke out shortly after 14:50 local time on Wednesday in one of the blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the Tai Po district: it is a set of eight 31-story towers, with nearly 2,000 apartments housing around 4,800 people. Most residents are elderly. According to the census, over 36% are 65 years or older.
The flames spread at an alarming rate, advancing through seven of the eight blocks thanks to an unexpected "bridge": the bamboo scaffolding installed for renovation works, covered by green tarps and mesh. This combination acted as perfect fuel. By 18:22 hours, the emergency was raised to "level 5 alarm", the highest category in the city's fire system.
Witnesses describe almost apocalyptic scenes: entire towers turned into vertical torches, bursts of flames coming out of the windows, sporadic explosions shaking the upper floors, and a continuous roar of fire, water, and sirens.
Many residents were trapped in their homes when smoke blocked the stairs and the elevators became unusable. Among the deceased was a 37-year-old firefighter, Ho Wai-ho, who was involved in rescue operations when a partial collapse left him with no way out. He lost contact with his colleagues and was later found with burns on his face.
"The temperature inside the affected buildings is very high, making it quite difficult for us to enter and climb the stairs to carry out firefighting and rescue operations," explained Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of the fire service.
In the city's hospitals, over a dozen people remain in critical condition, many with severe burns or serious intoxication from inhaling toxic smoke. There has been a wave of social media appeals urging people to donate blood after the fire.
In statements to local television stations, a mother broke down in tears on Thursday as she explained that she had been unable to contact her daughter, a minor who was inside one of the buildings engulfed by flames.
Initial investigations suggest that the building's exterior structure, clad in bamboo scaffolding, played a decisive role. Although this traditional material is common in Hong Kong, in recent years there have been attempts to replace it with safer metal structures. Midway through this year, the government announced that at least half of new public works would abandon bamboo due precisely to its vulnerability to fire and the humid climate.
Another factor is the use of polystyrene during the works to seal windows and panels on each floor, which would have acted as an accelerant. "On the building's walls, the net and waterproof tarp, once burned, showed a faster flame spread than allowed by regulations. This is unusual," said Security Secretary Chris Tang.
The building where the fire originated was built in 1983. The incident has raised questions about regulation and safety systems in old housing, regulations on flammable materials, and the conditions of renovations. As a firefighter spokesperson pointed out, the speed at which the fire spread "should not have been possible" if safety standards had been followed.
Authorities announced that they have launched a criminal investigation into the deadliest fire in the city's history and that three individuals -two directors and a consultant from the contracting company responsible for the building renovations- have been arrested for involuntary manslaughter.
As survivors begin to recount what happened, serious doubts arise about the functioning of emergency systems. Some residents have told local media that fire alarms did not go off, leaving many sleeping or resting in their homes without any warning. The lack of early warning was particularly tragic in a complex largely inhabited by elderly people, many with reduced mobility.
Several witnesses claim that, late into the night, explosions were heard on the upper floors, areas that firefighters had difficulty accessing due to the intensity of the fire and insufficient hose pressure at such heights.
The number of deaths reported in the past hours in Hong Kong has made the Wang Fuk Court fire the deadliest in the history of the former British colony, surpassing another in a building in 1996 that left 41 dead.
In China, the fire with the most victims occurred in 2000 when flames, caused by an electrical failure, engulfed a residential complex where coal mine workers lived in the Shanxi province. There were 374 miners killed.
The deadliest fire in a single building recorded in history occurred at a school in India in 1995, where 540 people died, mostly children.