Tai Po, Hong Kong – December 3, 2025 – Rescue and recovery teams in Hong Kong pressed on with a second round of exhaustive operations on Wednesday, scouring the charred remnants of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex for 31 people still unaccounted for following a catastrophic fire that claimed 159 lives last week. The blaze, which erupted on November 26 in the densely populated Tai Po district, has been confirmed as the city's worst in over seven decades, surpassing even the 1948 Shek Kip Mei warehouse fire that killed 176 people. As the death toll reached this grim milestone, authorities reported that the victims ranged in age from a one-year-old infant to a 97-year-old resident, with 140 of the bodies identified—49 males and 91 females—highlighting the tragedy's indiscriminate toll on families, including foreign domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines among the missing.
The fire, which raged for a harrowing 43 hours and engulfed seven of the complex's eight 31-storey towers, displaced thousands and exposed deep-seated flaws in Hong Kong's aging public housing infrastructure. Wang Fuk Court, part of the government's subsidized Home Ownership Scheme built in the 1980s, housed an estimated 4,600 residents across more than 1,900 apartments in its eight blocks. The complex's location in Tai Po, a suburban enclave near the border with mainland China home to about 300,000 people, amplified the disaster's ripple effects, with over 1,500 residents initially relocated to hotels, hostels, and temporary shelters in the immediate aftermath. By Wednesday, recovery efforts had shifted to the collapsed bamboo scaffolding and debris piles, where Police Commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming warned that searches could extend for weeks due to the site's instability.
Among the 79 people injured in the inferno—12 of them firefighters—37 remained hospitalized, some in critical condition, as medical teams treated burns, smoke inhalation, and trauma-related injuries. Eyewitness accounts from survivors paint a scene of chaos and helplessness. "The bamboo scaffolding cracked like gunfire, and flames shot up so fast it was like the buildings were breathing fire," recalled Bonnie Chan, a 28-year-old resident who escaped with her elderly parents from Wang Shing House, one of the affected towers. Her family, like many, lost everything—passports, heirlooms, and irreplaceable photos—in the blaze that began around 2:52 p.m. local time on November 26, reportedly sparked by an electrical fault in renovation wiring on the exterior of Wang Tai House.
Preliminary investigations have zeroed in on highly flammable materials used during the estate's ongoing major renovation project, valued at approximately HK$330 million (US$42.4 million). Authorities pinpointed substandard mesh netting—intended as fire-retardant protective covers for the bamboo scaffolding—and polystyrene foam boards (commonly known as styrofoam) used to seal windows against debris. These materials, which failed to meet safety standards, allowed the fire to leap from tower to tower within hours, fueled by strong winds and the dense urban layout. Firefighting efforts were hampered as ladders and hoses reached only midway up the 31-storey structures, leaving upper-floor residents trapped. Compounding the crisis, the complex's fire alarm system had been deliberately disabled months earlier to facilitate workers' access, a revelation that has ignited public fury over negligence.
In response, Hong Kong authorities issued an urgent directive on Wednesday mandating the removal of all exterior scaffolding mesh from approximately 300 buildings—200 private residential and 10 public—undergoing renovations, with a deadline of Saturday, December 6. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho announced new testing guidelines for scaffolding materials to be rolled out next week, emphasizing that "no corner will be cut in ensuring public safety." This citywide sweep follows weekend removals at several sites, including high-rises in Tsuen Wan and Central, where similar setups had raised alarms earlier in 2025. Bamboo scaffolding, an iconic yet combustible staple of Hong Kong's construction industry—used in nearly 80% of projects despite a 2025 government plan to phase it out—now faces intensified scrutiny, with 24 worker deaths linked to it since 2018.
The human cost extends beyond the immediate casualties. More than a third of Wang Fuk Court's residents were over 65, many with mobility issues that hindered evacuation from upper floors. Community support has poured in: artists and animal welfare groups distributed supplies, while the Tai Po Mega Mall opened overnight for water and charging stations. A HK$300 million (US$38.6 million) government support fund was established on November 28 to aid victims with relocation and rebuilding. Yet, grief lingers at makeshift memorials, where flowers and notes blanket a nearby bridge, reading: "Why did this happen to us?"
Accountability efforts are accelerating. As of Wednesday, police had arrested 21 individuals, including the main contractor from Prestige Construction and Engineering Company, an engineering consultant, and a subcontractor from the scaffolding firm, on suspicion of manslaughter and corruption. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has detained eight more in a parallel probe into bid-rigging and graft during the renovation, with searches yielding boxes of documents from suspects' homes and offices. Investigators allege that substandard netting was concealed by mixing it with compliant samples at inspection points, a "deceitful" tactic decried by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu as "evil." On Tuesday, Lee announced the formation of a judge-led independent committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the fire's causes, building regulations, and oversight failures, aiming to recommend systemic reforms and penalties. "We must overcome vested interests to prevent such tragedies," Lee stated, vowing changes to fire safety mandates and professional liabilities.
The disaster's shadow looms over Hong Kong's political calendar. Despite earlier speculation fueled by the three-day mourning period (November 29–December 1, when flags flew at half-staff), Lee confirmed that the Legislative Council election will proceed as scheduled on Sunday, December 7. The "patriots-only" polls, the second under Beijing's 2021 electoral overhaul expanding the chamber to 90 seats, had seen suspended forums and campaigning in the fire's wake. Chief Secretary Eric Chan announced Wednesday that forums would resume immediately, with candidates fielding questions on the blaze, but celebratory events like a free concert were canceled out of respect. Legal constraints limit postponements to 14 days without emergency measures, and delaying beyond December 31 could trigger a constitutional crisis as the current council's term expires. Voter turnout, already dismal at 30.2% in 2021, faces further tests amid public mourning and the concurrent National Games in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau.
Residents like May Liang, who lost her home while out for lunch, express cautious hope in the probe but demand transparency. "We want the truth, not just promises," she said, echoing calls from groups like Human Rights Watch for unhindered accountability. As one unaffected tower at Wang Fuk Court briefly reopened for residents to retrieve belongings, the city confronts not only the physical scars but a reckoning with its rapid urbanization and safety lapses. With new guidelines imminent and arrests mounting, Hong Kong stands at a crossroads: rebuild stronger, or risk history repeating in its vertical labyrinth.
