A massive fire tore through the Wang Fuk Court high-rise housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, in one of the region’s deadliest blazes in decades. Authorities say at least 44 people have died and 279 remain missing. At least one of the dead was a firefighter battling the blaze. Police have arrested three men on alleged manslaughter charges in connection with the fire.
Wang Fuk Court is a cluster of eight public housing towers that housed about 4,600 people, according to the 2021 census. The blaze spread rapidly in Hong Kong’s densely populated environment, prompting the closure of several adjacent roads and the diversion of roughly 30 bus routes. Fire also spread from the complex to Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School about 500 yards away.
Approximately 1,000 surviving residents are being sheltered in community centers. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said police and fire services have formed a team to investigate the cause of the fire. China’s leader Xi Jinping sent condolences to victims’ families.
The Wang Fuk Court towers, built in 1983, had been due for renovations and were encased in bamboo scaffolding when the fire broke out. Hong Kong began phasing out bamboo scaffolding last year in favor of steel, citing a lower fire risk from metal.