November 28, 2025 — Hong Kong — Authorities raised the death toll to 128 Friday as crews continued an apartment-by-apartment search of the charred Wang Fuk Court residential complex, warning the number could climb further. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said search operations were still under way and officials were preparing for further remains to be recovered.
The fire began Wednesday afternoon in one tower of the eight-block Tai Po estate and raced across seven buildings. Bamboo scaffolding wrapped in netting for renovation work ignited and helped the flames leap from tower to tower. More than 1,000 firefighters battled the five-alarm blaze, which was declared fully extinguished on Friday morning after roughly 24 hours of intense operations. Smoke and occasional flare-ups continued to issue from the scorched structures.
Deputy Director Derek Armstrong Chan of Hong Kong Fire Services said crews were prioritizing units linked to more than two dozen unanswered emergency calls made during the height of the fire. Chan described the firefighting phase as “almost complete” and said a final sweep of every apartment in the seven affected blocks would finish later Friday, after which the rescue phase would officially end.
Wang Fuk Court holds nearly 2,000 flats and housed about 4,800 residents. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said earlier that 279 residents could not initially be contacted; Chan said an updated missing-person tally would be compiled only after the searches were complete. About 900 people were sheltering in temporary accommodation and more than 70 people were treated for injuries, including 11 firefighters. Most casualties were concentrated in the two buildings where the blaze started.
Investigators are examining whether exterior renovation materials failed to meet fire-resistance standards and whether some alarm systems were inoperative, allowing the unusually rapid spread. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has opened inquiries into possible graft related to the renovation work.
Police said three men — two directors and an engineering consultant tied to a construction company — were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter amid allegations of gross negligence. Authorities have not formally named the firm in charges, but The Associated Press confirmed that Prestige Construction & Engineering Company was handling renovations at the estate and that investigators seized boxes of company documents.
Officers reported finding highly flammable plastic foam panels attached near elevator lobbies on each floor of one tower that remained untouched by the main fire. Those panels are believed to have been installed by the construction company, though their intended purpose was unclear.
Officials said they would immediately inspect other estates undergoing major renovations to ensure scaffolding and materials meet safety rules. The Wang Fuk Court blaze is Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades; a 1996 commercial building fire in Kowloon killed 41 people.