Hell in Hong Kong: at least 36 dead and dozens injured in the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court.

A massive fire broke out in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the Tai Po district of northern Hong Kong, turning a cluster of high-rise buildings into an inferno of flames and smoke. The toll is devastating: at least 36 people have died—including a firefighter—and dozens have been injured, several of them in critical condition.

According to data provided by the fire department and reported by local media, rescuers assisted a total of 28 people: nine were pronounced dead on the scene, six others were transported to the hospital in critical condition, and four of them later died. The death toll, however, is still considered provisional and expected to rise, with reports of people trapped on upper floors.

The fire: from the first flames to maximum alert

The fire broke out around 2:51 PM local time at Wang Fuk Court, a large residential complex comprising eight towers and nearly 2,000 apartments, home to approximately 4.600 residents. The flames, fanned by wind and debris from scaffolding, quickly spread along the bamboo scaffolding that surrounded at least three buildings undergoing renovations that had been underway for months.

The severity scale for fires in Hong Kong ranges from 1 to 5. Initially classified as a level 1 alert, the blaze was quickly raised to level 4 around 15:34 pm, before reaching its maximum level of 5 at 18:22 pm: an exceptional measure that, according to local press, had not been adopted for 17 years.

Images released by international media show shocking scenes: entire facades engulfed in flames, columns of dark smoke rising tens of meters, tarpaulins and construction site structures burning and collapsing onto the surrounding streets. Some footage shows at least five nearby buildings ablaze, with fire pouring out of windows and balconies.

A densely populated popular complex

Wang Fuk Court is a public housing complex, built in 1983 and included in the government's housing subsidy program. The eight towers—some as high as 31 stories—house primarily low-income families, elderly couples, and retirees, in one of the densest and most expensive cities in the world in terms of real estate.

Tai Po District, in the northern part of Hong Kong, is a consolidated suburban area with approximately 300.000 residents, characterized by large residential complexes, schools, markets, and shopping malls. Renovation work had been underway in the complex for months, which, according to media reports, had already sparked discontent among residents over the prolonged inconvenience.

Bamboo scaffolding: tradition and risk

One of the key factors in the fire's dynamics appears to be the role of bamboo scaffolding. In Hong Kong—as in other Asian countries—construction scaffolding is still often made from bamboo poles, tied together with plastic ties and covered with tarps.

Bamboo is lightweight, flexible, and wind-resistant, and in Hong Kong's urban environment, it's considered a solid and efficient system. However, in the presence of flames and inadequately fireproof roofing, it can become a deadly vector for fire spread.

In the case of Wang Fuk Court, the flames reportedly spread rapidly along the dense bamboo scaffolding surrounding the buildings, eventually spreading to the apartments and other areas of the complex. Some images show burning construction tarps breaking off and falling to the ground, adding to the chaos and complicating the rescue effort.

Not surprisingly, the local government had already announced a plan in March to gradually reduce the use of bamboo scaffolding on public construction sites, with the goal of at least 50% of projects using metal frames. The Tai Po fire now risks accelerating this process and sparking a heated debate on the safety of construction sites and buildings undergoing renovation.

The massive rescue intervention

Exceptional numbers of resources and personnel were mobilized at the scene of the disaster:

• over 750 firefighters,

• 128 fire engines,

• 57 ambulances,

• more than 400 police officers.

Rescuers faced extreme conditions: extremely high temperatures, reduced visibility due to thick smoke, burning construction materials, and partial collapses of scaffolding and tarpaulins. The darkness that fell in the hours that followed further complicated the operations.

Authorities closed sections of a nearby highway and diverted at least 30 bus routes. Several temporary shelters were opened in Tai Po district: in total, between 700 and 1.000 people sought shelter in these facilities, many of them in a state of shock, unsure whether their homes would still be habitable.

The fire also affected nearby buildings, including the Tai Po Baptist Elementary School, while two residential complexes in the adjacent Kwong Fuk neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution.

Firefighters pay tribute: a firefighter among the victims

Among the confirmed victims is a firefighter. The director of the Fire Department announced that the officer—identified as Ho—was found unconscious near an elevator in one of the hardest-hit buildings, Hung Cheong Court. Despite repeated resuscitation attempts, the firefighter was pronounced dead 44 minutes after being found.

The director expressed his "deepest condolences" to the officer's family, assuring them of psychological and financial support. Another firefighter is hospitalized with burns, while several emergency personnel are injured or suffering from poisoning.

Initial estimates suggested that most of the trapped residents were elderly, often with limited mobility, making evacuation from the upper floors even more difficult.

Trapped animals and parallel rescues

The tragedy hasn't just affected people. According to a pet rescue organization, over 100 animals, including dogs, cats, and other small pets, are trapped in the complex.

Zoie Cheng Kam-shan, director of business development at the Hong Kong Pet Club, reported that the organization dispatched two veterinary ambulances to the scene to receive the rescued animals and transfer them to local clinics. In an already desperate situation, many residents reported the difficulty—and often impossibility—of rescuing their pets in the short time available.

"The alarms didn't go off": anger and testimonies from residents

One of the most disturbing aspects emerging from initial reports concerns the possible failure of the fire alarms. Several residents told the South China Morning Post that the warning system failed to go off, despite the complex being equipped with fire suppression systems.

An 83-year-old retiree who lives in the community described those moments like this: “If anyone was sleeping at that moment, they were done for.”

The man explained that many residents had to flee on their own, without an automatic warning system. According to former district councilor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho, the alarms didn't go off even after several people began to smell a strong burning odor.

In many cases, the alarm was raised by security guards, who began knocking on doors, leaving residents very little time to gather their belongings and flee their homes.

If these testimonies were to be confirmed by the investigations, it would open up a very critical scenario regarding the condition of the security systems, maintenance, and risk management in a large public housing complex.

The authorities' measures and the upcoming investigations

At the height of the emergency, the Fire Department issued a warning to residents of nearby neighborhoods, recommending they stay indoors, close doors and windows, remain calm, and avoid going to the fire area.

Police have cordoned off a large area around the complex, while special teams continue operations to extinguish the fire, search for the missing, and secure the facilities. The local government has announced the opening of a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire, its spread, and the possible failure of the fire alarms.

A tragedy that questions Hong Kong

The Tai Po fire is not just a local tragedy, but an event destined to reopen debate on several fronts: housing safety in public housing complexes, the use of bamboo scaffolding, the effectiveness of fire prevention systems, and the management of large construction sites in densely populated areas.

In a city where owning a home is a distant dream for many and where residential towers are often the only answer to population pressure, building safety is not a technical detail, but a matter of life and death.

The columns of smoke that rose above Wang Fuk Court tell not only the story of a devastating fire, but also the structural weaknesses of a housing and urban planning model that is now called to reckon with its responsibilities.