Firefighter Ho Wai-ho was found collapsed by his colleagues in the lobby of one of the burning buildings in Wang Fuk Court, the residential complex in Hong Kong engulfed in flames on Wednesday.
Witnesses say Ho had many burns on his face. He had initially been fighting the flames on the ground floor when, at 3:30 p.m., his brigade lost contact with him. He was urgently transported to Prince of Wales Hospital, where he passed away at 4:41 p.m.
"Please remember the face of the hero," said a message accompanied by a photo posted by one of his colleagues on social media. Ho was 37 years old and had been working in the Hong Kong fire department for nine years.
The city's most devastating fire in over six decades has killed at least 65 people, with 279 others still missing. Firefighters managed to control a fire that persisted on the upper floors over 24 hours after it started, initially believed to have begun on bamboo scaffolding outside one of the buildings.
Almost all facades of the complex were under renovation. Subsequently, the flames spread through the green nets used during repair works, eventually jumping to other buildings.
Ho was one of the over 800 firefighters deployed in the Tai Po district, where a massive public housing complex consisting of eight 31-story towers with around 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 people is located. Most residents were elderly, with over 36% being 65 years or older according to the census.
"I can't accept what has happened. I really need to hold your hand again," Ho's girlfriend posted on social media on Thursday, attaching a photo of the deceased firefighter holding her in his arms. "My superhero has completed his mission and returned to Krypton. You are my pride!"
Several experts have explained that the flames spread through the 32 floors in just five minutes, leaving residents facing a fierce battle with an evacuation time of only 20 minutes.
During Wednesday night, around 900 residents were relocated to eight temporary shelters set up in various parts of the city, while many affected neighbors slept outdoors.
On Thursday afternoon, as firefighters continued to search for survivors, a woman wandered around distributing photos of her five-year-old daughter, Hannah Cheng, and her domestic worker Maryan, who were in their home inside one of the buildings and are now missing.
Another mother, Winnie Hui, is also desperately searching for her daughter and in-laws, who were also trapped. "My parents, who are 70 years old, live on the 11th floor of block 5. I haven't heard from them since the fire started," a young man named Yuen told local TV stations.
Initial investigations suggest that the fire spread rapidly due to the bamboo scaffolding used for renovation works, covered by green tarps and nets. This combination acted as perfect fuel, compounded by another decisive factor: polystyrene was used during the works to seal windows and panels on each floor, which would have acted as an accelerant.
Some experts questioned why Hong Kong continued to use bamboo scaffolding and drew parallels with a fire in Shanghai in 2010 that resulted in the deaths of 58 people. Authorities linked the incident to unauthorized electrical welding that ignited the bamboo planks and other flammable materials on the scaffolding. In 2022, Chinese authorities banned the use of bamboo scaffolding in residential and municipal projects. However, this has not been the case in Hong Kong, where this material is still used.
Authorities announced that they have launched a criminal investigation into the deadliest fire in the city's recent 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.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee Ka-chiu, ordered immediate inspections of all residential complexes undergoing major works.