28.11.2025 08:20
The number of fatalities in the fire that broke out in a complex with 8 apartment buildings in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has risen to 94. Firefighting efforts in the large complex, which is home to 4,000 people, have been ongoing for over 40 hours.
In a statement from the Hong Kong Fire Services, it was reported that so far 94 people have lost their lives in the fire, including one firefighter, and 76 people, including 11 firefighters, have been injured.
NOT EXTINGUISHED FOR 40 HOURS
Firefighting efforts have been ongoing for more than 40 hours at the site, which is estimated to house around 4,000 people. It was noted that the firefighting teams, who are continuing rescue operations, have not yet been able to reach 25 of the help calls received from the site.
WHAT HAPPENED?
The fire, which started on November 26 in the Wang Fuk Site in Tai Po district, where more than 1,900 apartments are located, quickly spread due to the ignition of flammable insulation materials and bamboo scaffolding set up on the building's facades for renovations.
Authorities detained three people, including two managers of the construction company conducting the renovations at the site and a consulting engineer, on charges of "causing death by negligence" related to the fire.
In Hong Kong, where a five-level grading system is used for the severity of fires, a level 5 alarm was issued for the first time in 17 years. The incident has been recorded as the fire that caused the most fatalities in Hong Kong in the last 70 years.