Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 83 as scores of residents remain missing
Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on November 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong authorities said on Friday the death toll from the city's worst fire in decades had risen to at least 83, with the blaze almost entirely extinguished and rescuers scouring torched high-rise buildings for scores of people still listed as missing.
Early Friday, authorities said the fire had been contained to four of the sprawling apartment complex's almost 2,000 units, well over 24 hours after the blaze broke out in the eight-building complex.
Of the 83 people confirmed dead as of 12:00 am local time (1600 GMT Thursday), one was a 37-year-old firefighter and two were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers.
Hong Kong authorities said on Thursday the death toll from the city's worst fire in decades had risen to 75, as firefighters scoured scorched high-rise buildings in an apartment complex for more than 250 people listed as missing.
Flames were still visible in some of the eight-building housing estate's almost 2,000 units well over 24 hours after the fire broke out, with crews still spraying water over the blackened exteriors.
Authorities have begun investigating what sparked the disastrous blaze -- the financial hub's worst in almost 80 years -- including the presence of bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the structures as part of an estate-wide renovation.
Hong Kong's anti-corruption body said it has launched a probe into renovation work at the housing complex, hours after police said they had arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site.
Fresh Footage captured just minutes ago shows a major fire that broke out earlier this afternoon at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China.
The de@th toll has risen from 4 to 30
And it may goes up till 100 by morning
Many are still trapped inside pic.twitter.com/2bATf4kBVVResidents of Wang Fuk Court, located in Hong Kong's northern district of Tai Po, told AFP that they did not hear any fire alarms and had to go door-to-door to alert neighbours to the danger.
"The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow," said a man surnamed Suen.
"Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave -- that's what the situation was like," he said.
The intense flames were finally extinguished in four of the eight apartment blocks and the fires in three others were under control, officials said on Thursday afternoon. One building was not affected.
'Cannot describe it'
Of the 65 people confirmed dead by 8 pm local time (1200 GMT) Thursday, one was a 37-year-old firefighter and two were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers.
It is Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948, when an explosion followed by a fire killed 135 people.
But the toll could yet rise further, with city leader John Lee saying in the early hours of Thursday that 279 people were unaccounted for. However, firefighters said later that they had established contact with some of those people.
Authorities have not updated the figure since.
Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on November 26, 2025. Photo: AFP
At a nearby community centre, police put up photos of bodies pulled from the fire for identification.
"If the faces are unrecognisable, there are personal items for people to identify," said a woman surnamed Cheung who was looking for her relatives.
"I cannot describe my feelings. There were children... I cannot describe it."
A government spokesman told AFP on Thursday evening that of those being treated in hospital on Thursday evening, 12 were in a critical condition, 29 were listed as serious and 17 were stable.
Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighbourhoods, but improved safety measures have made them far less common.
Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major works following the disaster, city leader Lee said.
The city's number two official Eric Chan told a news conference it was "imperative to expedite the full transition to metal scaffolding", adding that the government would collaborate with the construction industry.
VIDEO: 🇭🇰 Fire engulfs Hong Kong residential blocks, killing at least four
At least four people have been killed after a fire engulfed several high-rise blocks in a Hong Kong residential estate, the government said, with media reporting some residents were still trapped inside.… pic.twitter.com/3cEvWWv9RjChinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, according to state media, with the Hong Kong government saying Beijing would provide assistance such as drones and medicine.
City authorities said they were organising temporary accommodation and emergency funds for those affected.
Activities around Hong Kong's legislative elections, set to take place on December 7, have been suspended.
Hellish scenes
Sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning apartment blocks in hellish scenes late on Wednesday, as flames inside apartments sometimes belched out through windows into the night sky.
Fire services said the wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another.
More than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters overnight, authorities said.
Some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes on Thursday afternoon.
Volunteers distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall, while a few people gave out flyers with information about missing people.
Crowds moved by the tragedy gathered near the complex on Thursday to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort in a city that has some of the world's most densely populated and tallest residential blocks.
"It's truly touching. The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support... It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love," said Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station.