HONG KONG (AP) — In a tragic incident, a massive fire at Wang Fuk Court, a high-rise apartment complex in Tai Po district, engulfed seven of the eight towers on Wednesday, resulting in at least 94 fatalities. This event marks one of the deadliest blazes in Hong Kong's history. Firefighters have been meticulously searching through each apartment in a final effort to locate any remaining survivors.
Deputy Director of Hong Kong Fire Services, Derek Armstrong Chan, reported that emergency crews are prioritizing apartments where over two dozen distress calls were made during the fire but went unanswered. As of early Friday morning, the firefighting operation was nearing completion, with smoke still emanating from charred structures nearly two days after the blaze began.
The fire broke out around midafternoon on Wednesday, rapidly spreading from one tower to another, fueled by bamboo scaffolding and netting used for ongoing renovations. It took a staggering 1,000 firefighters approximately 24 hours to bring the five-alarm fire under control. Smoke persisted from the remnants of the buildings, indicating the potential for flare-ups.
Officials have indicated that they will conclude the rescue phase by the end of Friday, although there is uncertainty surrounding the number of individuals potentially trapped inside the complex, which houses approximately 2,000 apartments and nearly 4,800 residents. Earlier reports from Hong Kong leader John Lee noted that attempts to contact 279 residents had been unsuccessful.
Chan emphasized the importance of checking all units within the affected towers to ensure that no additional victims remain unaccounted for. The majority of unanswered calls for assistance came from higher floors, which were the last to be extinguished. Alongside fatalities, more than 70 individuals sustained injuries, including 11 firefighters, and around 900 displaced residents have been provided temporary shelter.
The apartment complex, built in the 1980s and primarily inhabited by older residents, was undergoing major renovations at the time of the incident. Following the tragedy, Hong Kong's anti-corruption agency launched an investigation into potential corruption connected to the renovation project. Three men, including directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter due to gross negligence.
Authorities are examining the materials used in the renovation, suspecting that some may have failed to meet fire resistance standards, which allowed the fire to spread with unusual speed. In a concerning discovery, police found highly flammable plastic foam panels attached to windows in the only unaffected tower, believed to have been installed by the construction company, though their intended purpose remains ambiguous.
Immediate inspections of other housing estates undergoing significant renovations have been initiated to ensure compliance with safety standards regarding scaffolding and building materials. This fire stands as a stark reminder of the potential dangers associated with inadequate safety measures, making it the deadliest incident of its kind in Hong Kong in decades; the last notable tragedy being a 1996 commercial building fire in Kowloon, which resulted in 41 deaths.
