Updated on: November 27, 2025 / 3:14 AM EST / CBS/AP
Police in Hong Kong have arrested three men from a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter after a blaze that killed at least 55 people and left more than 250 others unaccounted for in the city’s deadliest fire in years. City officials said at least 62 others were injured, many with burns and smoke inhalation.
The fire began Wednesday afternoon on external scaffolding of a 32-story tower in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the Tai Po district and spread to seven of the site’s eight buildings, likely helped by windy conditions. Flames climbed bamboo scaffolding and sent thick smoke and embers into the sky; live video showed firefighters using ladder trucks to douse intense flames as skies darkened. Fire chiefs said high temperatures at the scene made rescues difficult.
Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung said a 37-year-old firefighter, who had served nine years, was among the dead. “All of our colleagues are deeply saddened by the loss of such a devoted comrade,” Yeung said in a press release.
Officials said the rapid spread was unusual and investigators suspect materials on exterior walls did not meet fire resistance standards. Police reported finding highly flammable foam materials outside windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one building that remained unaffected; authorities believe the material was installed by a construction firm. “We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police. The three arrested men, aged 52 to 68, are directors and an engineering consultant of the firm.
The blaze was upgraded to a level-5 alarm by nightfall, the highest severity. Firefighters deployed more than 140 fire trucks and over 60 ambulances. Authorities received multiple reports of people trapped; records show the housing estate comprises eight blocks with nearly 2,000 apartments housing about 4,800 residents. The estate was built in the 1980s and had been undergoing major renovation.
About 900 people were taken to temporary shelters. Tai Po District Council member Lo Hiu-fung told local TV that many of those believed trapped were elderly. The Hong Kong Fire Services Department urged nearby residents to stay indoors, close windows and avoid the area.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the fallen firefighter and sympathies to victims’ families, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Tai Po is a suburban area in northern Hong Kong near the Shenzhen border. The fire is the deadliest in Hong Kong in years; the last major deadly blaze was in November 1996, when 41 people died in a Kowloon commercial building fire that lasted about 20 hours. Investigations into the cause and possible building-material violations and negligence are ongoing.