Cover Story: Inside the Deadly Inferno That Tore Through Wang Fuk Court

The devastating fire at the Wang Fuk Court public housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district started abruptly and became the city's deadliest blaze since 1918, lasting over 43 hours and killing at least 128 people. The fire began in the early afternoon of Nov. 26, 2025, quickly spreading from the lower floors via bamboo scaffolding and flammable renovation materials, trapping hundreds, predominantly elderly residents, within the seven affected high-rise towers. Emergency services responded promptly, deploying over 1,200 firefighters and medical personnel, but the fire’s severity and the building design impeded rescue efforts, leaving 200 people missing and marking a scale of loss unseen in Hong Kong for more than a century [para. 1][para. 2][para. 3][para. 4][para. 5][para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10][para. 11][para. 12][para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16].

The Wang Fuk Court complex consists of eight 31-story towers, with approximately 2,000 apartments collectively housing 4,643 people as of the 2021 census; over 40% of residents were aged 65 or older, with a median age of 56.6 and a typical household income of HK$20,490 (US$2,632) per month. The buildings, constructed over four decades ago, were undergoing a government-mandated renovation at the time of the fire, intended to upgrade homes but, ironically, left the residents more vulnerable [para. 17][para. 18][para. 19][para. 20][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23][para. 24][para. 25][para. 26]. The disaster triggered intense scrutiny of Hong Kong’s aging public housing infrastructure, construction safety, and oversight, especially since nearly 9,000 private residential buildings in the city are 50 years old or older—a number increasing yearly [para. 20].

Investigations quickly focused on renovation practices and materials. Authorities believe the fire started in the protective netting on the first building’s lower floors before igniting highly flammable foam insulation boards installed over windows to protect against construction debris. Although initially certified as flame-retardant, both netting and bamboo scaffolding caught fire under extreme heat. Bamboo, common because of cost and flexibility, contributed to fire spread, as it releases flammable gases when heated and collapses, dropping burning fragments onto lower levels. The foam insulation, likely polystyrene, was highly combustible and melted through shattered single-pane windows of the aging complex, turning apartments into deadly traps [para. 27][para. 28][para. 29][para. 30][para. 31][para. 32][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36][para. 37][para. 38][para. 39][para. 40][para. 41][para. 42][para. 43][para. 44][para. 45][para. 46][para. 47][para. 48].

Police arrested three executives from the main renovation contractor for suspected manslaughter, with early evidence suggesting material selection negligence. Further, alarm systems failed in all towers—a critical shortcoming verified during a prior inspection but not rectified. As a result, some residents, like Mr. Fung, only learned of the fire through outside contact [para. 49][para. 50][para. 51][para. 52][para. 53][para. 54][para. 55][para. 56][para. 57][para. 58][para. 59][para. 60]. Eight others, including consultants and sub-contractors, were arrested amid broader anti-corruption probes.

Community response was swift and significant, with government and charitable action providing HK$300 million in aid and temporary accommodation for 1,800 displaced residents. Blood donations and volunteer support surged, highlighting collective grief and solidarity [para. 61][para. 62][para. 63][para. 64][para. 65][para. 66][para. 67][para. 68][para. 69][para. 70][para. 71][para. 72][para. 73][para. 74][para. 75][para. 76][para. 77][para. 78][para. 79][para. 80][para. 81][para. 82][para. 83].

In the aftermath, Hong Kong authorities have launched citywide inspections and plan to phase out bamboo scaffolding in favor of metal alternatives. Experts recommend hybrid scaffolding, advanced fire detection, and reform in regulatory oversight to prevent recurrence. The disaster exposed deep flaws in construction sector compensation and institutional accountability, prompting calls for legislative reform and stronger fire compliance measures [para. 84][para. 85][para. 86][para. 87][para. 88][para. 89][para. 90][para. 91][para. 92][para. 93][para. 94][para. 95][para. 96][para. 97][para. 98][para. 99][para. 100][para. 101][para. 102][para. 103][para. 104][para. 105][para. 106][para. 107][para. 108].