Hong Kong Fire Kills 55, Nearly 300 Missing as Police Blame ‘Grossly Negligent’ Construction Firm
- SAUDI ARABIA BREAKING NEWS
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
HONG KONG, November 27, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – A massive fire that has killed at least 55 people and left nearly 300 missing at a Hong Kong apartment complex may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction company using unsafe materials, police said on Thursday. The blaze continued burning more than 24 hours after it erupted on Wednesday.
Firefighters struggled to reach residents possibly trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in the northern Tai Po district due to extreme heat and dense smoke. The tightly packed complex contains eight blocks with around 2,000 apartments and more than 4,600 residents, in a city facing acute shortages of affordable housing.
Residents described devastating losses.
“We bought this building more than 20 years ago. All of our belongings were in this building, and now that it has all burned like this, what’s left?” said a 51-year-old resident surnamed Wan.
“There’s nothing left. What are we supposed to do?”
A woman surnamed Ng, 52, searched desperately for her daughter outside a shelter.
“She and her father are still not out yet. They didn’t have water to save our building,” she said through tears, holding her daughter’s graduation photo.
Authorities said the fire was still burning on Thursday afternoon. They had brought the blaze in four of seven blocks under control, with operations continuing in the remaining three.
Bamboo scaffolding, a long-standing feature of traditional Chinese construction, has been undergoing a phase-out in Hong Kong since March due to safety concerns.
Three Arrested
Police officers searched the maintenance contractor’s offices on Thursday morning, seizing documents referencing Wang Fuk Court, local media reported. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” said police superintendent Eileen Chung.
Three men — two directors and an engineering consultant from the construction firm — were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Police said that, in addition to buildings covered with protective mesh and plastic sheeting that may not meet fire-retardant standards, some windows in an unaffected block were sealed with foam material installed during year-long renovation works.
A firefighter was among the 55 killed, with dozens of injured residents in critical condition. Around 279 people remain uncontactable, Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday afternoon. Chung added that 900 residents were spread across eight temporary shelters.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said two Indonesian domestic workers were killed and two others injured.
The death toll is now the highest in a Hong Kong fire since 1948, when 176 people died in a warehouse blaze.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said the priority remained extinguishing the fire and rescuing trapped residents. “The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we’ll launch a thorough investigation,” he told reporters.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body also said it has opened a probe into suspected corruption linked to the renovation.
Searching for Relatives
Many residents described panic and uncertainty.
Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud noise at 2:45 p.m. and saw flames erupt.
“I immediately went back to pack up my things,” he said. “I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight.”
A 70-year-old resident surnamed Chu said she still had not been able to contact friends living in the adjacent block. She returned Thursday morning to find the building still burning. “We don’t know what to do,” she said.
A crowd-sourced missing persons app circulated online, listing names, tower numbers, and room numbers, with descriptions such as “Mother-in-law in her 70s, missing,” “one boy and one girl,” and “27th floor, room 1: He is dead.” Reuters could not independently verify the information.
The fire has drawn comparisons to the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze in London, which killed 72 people and was blamed on flammable cladding and widespread regulatory failings.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected,” the Grenfell United survivors’ group said on social media.
Mainland Response and Local Anger
China’s President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Residents took to social media to criticize what they described as negligence and cost-cutting in the construction process. One video showed several workers smoking on bamboo scaffolding surrounding a block during renovation.
Hong Kong’s Transport Department said several roads would remain closed on Thursday morning and 39 bus routes had been diverted. Nearby schools were also closed.
The tragedy comes at a time of heightened political pressure, with citywide legislative elections approaching in early December. Sky-high property prices have long contributed to public frustration.
Wang Fuk Court, located in Tai Po near the mainland China border, has been occupied since 1983 and is part of the city’s subsidized home ownership scheme. According to online posts, the complex has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit contributing HK$160,000 to HK$180,000.
Hong Kong’s corruption authority said it has launched an investigation into suspected corruption related to the renovation project.
