November 28, 2025 / 2:52 AM EST / CBS/AP
Hong Kong — The death toll from a fire that tore through the Wang Fuk Court residential complex climbed to 128 on Friday as more bodies were found in the blackened towers, authorities said. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the search for victims was continuing and numbers could still rise.
The blaze began Wednesday afternoon in one tower of the eight-building complex in Tai Po district and quickly spread to seven buildings. Bamboo scaffolding covered in netting, in place for renovations, caught fire and helped the flames jump between towers. The fire was only fully extinguished Friday morning after more than 1,000 firefighters and a roughly 24-hour fight to bring the five-alarm blaze under control. Smoke and occasional flare-ups persisted from the charred structures.
Fire crews were conducting a final, apartment-by-apartment search for survivors and bodies. They prioritized units from which more than two dozen unanswered rescue calls had been received but could not be reached during the height of the blaze, Deputy Director Derek Armstrong Chan of Hong Kong Fire Services said. He added the firefighting operation was “almost complete” and officials planned to finish the final search later Friday, after which the rescue phase would end.
The complex held almost 2,000 apartments and about 4,800 residents. Hong Kong leader John Lee said earlier officials had not been able to make contact with 279 residents. Chan said an updated missing-person figure would only be calculated once searches were finished, and he pledged to force entry into every unit in the seven affected blocks to ensure no other casualties remained.
More than 70 people were injured, including 11 firefighters, and about 900 residents were staying in temporary shelters. Most casualties were in the first two buildings to catch fire.
Investigation and arrests
Authorities suspected exterior materials did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually rapid spread. There were also indications that fire alarm systems in at least some affected buildings may not have been functioning properly.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency said it was investigating possible corruption connected to the renovation work. Three men — the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company — were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter; police said company leaders were suspected of gross negligence. Police have not formally named the firm, but The Associated Press confirmed Prestige Construction & Engineering Company was handling renovations at the estate. Investigators seized boxes of documents from the company.
Officers also reported finding highly flammable plastic foam panels attached to window areas on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one tower that remained unaffected. The panels were believed to have been installed by the construction company, though their purpose was unclear.
Officials said they would immediately inspect many housing estates undergoing major renovations to ensure scaffolding and construction materials meet safety standards. The fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong in decades; a 1996 commercial building blaze in Kowloon killed 41 people.
