A 43-hour blaze on November 26 devastated seven blocks at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, killing at least 159 people and injuring 79. Preliminary investigations point to scaffolding between the first and second floors of one block as the likely starting point. As of December 7, 13 households remain uncontacted, with authorities not ruling out further deaths.
On November 26, a massive fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong, raging for 43 hours and severely damaging seven of its eight blocks, affecting around 2,000 households. The estate includes buildings such as Wang Sun House and Wang Cheong House, turning many families' homes to rubble.
Preliminary investigations by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department suggest the blaze originated on scaffolding between the first and second floors of Wang Cheong House. Fire services director Andy Yeung Yan-kin stated that this initial assessment is based on on-site records and firefighters' observations, confirming reports that the flames started on lower floors. To pinpoint the exact ignition point, authorities are considering building a life-size replica of the affected floors for further analysis.
The disaster has claimed at least 159 lives and injured 79 others. As of December 7—more than 10 days after the inferno—13 households out of 1,984 remain uncontacted. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han revealed that officials have reached 1,971 households but cannot rule out fatalities among the missing. He said: “We really hope to use all means to find these 13 households.” The government's 'one social worker per household' initiative has now assisted 99 percent of affected residents with tailored support.
One survivor, 40-year-old clinic assistant Moon Li, escaped with her husband and eight-year-old son because they were not home at the time. The family had purchased their subsidized flat at Wang Sun House under the Home Ownership Scheme for about HK$2 million 17 years ago and was just HK$65,000 away from paying off the mortgage. Moon Li lamented: “I used to have a cosy home. I decorated the place very well and lived there comfortably for more than a decade.”
In response, the government plans to fast-track legislation within about two months to ban smoking at construction sites and introduce a fixed penalty system for violations. The incident underscores critical building safety concerns as residents strive to rebuild their lives.
