Year in Review: Hong Kong High-Rise Fire Caps a Year for Safety Oversight Concerns
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The Central Economic Work Conference held on Dec. 10–11 called for solid efforts in 2026 to ensure workplace safety and disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, and to resolutely prevent and curb major and serious accidents. Photo: VCG
On the afternoon of Nov. 26, a spark from a maintenance scaffolding ignited the exterior of Wang Fuk Court, a high-rise residential complex in the Tai Po district. Fueled by strong winds, the flames rapidly climbed the facade and penetrated the interior, engulfing seven towers.
The blaze, which burned for 43 hours and reddened the island’s sky, became the deadliest fire in the city’s history over the past century that has claimed 161 lives.
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- The 2025 Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong, sparked by faulty maintenance materials, killed 161, making it the city’s deadliest fire in a century and prompting criminal investigations and an independent commission.
- China saw multiple deadly infrastructure and industrial accidents in 2025, including bridge collapses, ship collisions, and fatal fires and explosions, raising public safety concerns.
- Natural disasters in 2025, including a 126-death earthquake in Xizang and deadly floods and typhoons, highlighted vulnerabilities and prompted calls for better climate resilience.
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Who’s Who
- China National Gold Group
- China National Gold Group is mentioned in the article in connection with a tragic incident in July where six university students drowned in a flotation tank at one of its facilities in Inner Mongolia during a study tour. The incident is attributed to a potentially unsecured grating plate in the tank, suggesting maintenance lapses.
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What Happened When
- Feb. 25, 2025：
- A collision between a garbage transport vessel and a passenger boat in Hunan province’s Yuan River left 15 dead and one missing.
- Apr. 8, 2025：
- A fire at a budget nursing home near Beijing in Hebei province killed 20 elderly residents and injured 19.
- After Apr. 8, 2025 and before May 31, 2025：
- A restaurant fire in Liaoning province claimed 22 lives; some private rooms lacked windows, hampering escape.
- May 2025：
- An explosion at a chemical plant in Shandong province killed 10, left 2 missing and injured 19.
- May 2025 (Labor Day holiday)：
- A sudden gale capsized four boats at a scenic spot in Guizhou province, causing 84 people to fall into the water and killing 10.
- June 2025：
- A blast at a fireworks factory in Hunan left nine dead and 26 injured.
- July 2025：
- Six university students from northeast China died during a study tour at a China National Gold Group facility in Inner Mongolia after drowning in a flotation tank.
- Aug. 22, 2025：
- The Jianzha Yellow River Bridge on the Sichuan-Qinghai Railway snapped during construction, killing 12 workers and leaving four missing.
- Summer 2025：
- Floods hit Beijing, Hebei, and Gansu, with 31 people perishing at a Miyun nursing home during extreme rainstorms.
- Autumn 2025：
- Grain-producing provinces in northern China struggled with persistent rains that damaged the harvest.
- By Nov. 26, 2025 (before this date)：
- A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Dingri, Xizang, killed 126 people.
- Nov. 26, 2025 (afternoon)：
- A spark from scaffolding ignited the exterior of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, leading to a fire that engulfed seven towers.
- Nov. 26-28, 2025 (43 hours after the start)：
- The Wang Fuk Court fire burned for 43 hours, reddened Hong Kong's sky, and became the deadliest fire in the city’s recent history, with 161 lives lost.
- Nov. 27, 2025：
- Separate railway collisions in Kunming and Chengdu killed 13 workers and injured 2.
- Dec. 6, 2025：
- A highway underpass collapse in Zhengzhou killed five people.
- Dec. 10-11, 2025：
- The Central Economic Work Conference was held to outline priorities for 2026, focusing on flood defense and weather warning system improvements.
- Dec. 12, 2025：
- Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced a three-person independent commission to investigate the Wang Fuk Court disaster.
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