A catastrophic fire has claimed at least 65 lives with hundreds more people missing after flames engulfed a residential high-rise complex in Hong Kong, prompting police to arrest three individuals connected to the construction company responsible for renovation works.
The devastating blaze broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po at 2:51pm local time on Wednesday, rapidly spreading across seven of the complex's eight buildings while many residents were inside their homes.
Arrests and Allegations of Gross Negligence
Hong Kong police have taken two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company into custody on suspicion of manslaughter following the deadly incident. Authorities have suggested that gross negligence involving unsafe materials may have contributed to the fire's rapid spread.
Police superintendent Eileen Chung stated: "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."
The company involved has not been officially named by authorities as investigations continue into the exact circumstances that led to one of Hong Kong's deadliest fires in decades.
Scale of the Tragedy and Emergency Response
The human cost of the disaster continues to mount with nearly 300 people reported missing and 45 individuals hospitalised in critical condition. Approximately 900 residents have been relocated to emergency shelters as their homes remain uninhabitable following the blaze.
Tragically, one firefighter lost their life while battling the intense flames that took crews until Thursday morning to fully extinguish across all seven affected blocks of the residential complex.
The Wang Fuk Court development, constructed in the 1980s, contains eight residential blocks housing around 4,800 residents across nearly 2,000 flats. The complex had been undergoing renovation works for approximately one year before Wednesday's tragedy.
Investigation Focus and Safety Concerns
Initial investigations indicate the fire likely originated in bamboo scaffolding and construction mesh sheets surrounding the buildings, with windy conditions potentially accelerating the flames' rapid progression between structures.
Bamboo scaffolding remains commonly used throughout Hong Kong despite ongoing efforts to phase out the traditional building method due to safety concerns. According to Hong Kong's Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, this marks at least the third fire involving bamboo scaffolding to occur this year alone.
The disaster has drawn comparisons to London's Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, where 72 people died in a blaze exacerbated by flammable cladding materials. The Grenfell United survivors' group expressed solidarity with those affected, posting on social media: "Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong. To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone."
Hong Kong leader John Lee announced the establishment of a HK$300 million (£29 million) relief fund to assist residents impacted by the fire, while Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an "all-out effort" to manage the aftermath and minimise casualties.
This represents the deadliest fire to occur in Hong Kong since 1948, when 176 people perished in a warehouse blaze, highlighting significant concerns about construction safety standards in densely populated urban environments.
