PICTORIAL: 55 Die As Fire Razes Hong Kong Residential Complex

A devastating fire tore through a residential complex in Hong Kong, killing at least 55 people and injuring many others. The flames spread rapidly via bamboo scaffolding, forcing around 700 residents to evacuate.

The blaze engulfed seven apartment blocks in the Tai Po district of the New Territories on Wednesday.

The fire broke out in the mid-afternoon, quickly consuming the buildings’ exteriors, which were covered in scaffolding and construction netting. Video footage showed thick smoke and flames pouring from windows across multiple towers as darkness fell. Firefighters fought the blaze from ladder trucks, and the alert level was raised to 5, the highest severity classification.

The Fire Services Department dispatched 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances to the scene. Among the casualties was one firefighter, while another was being treated for heat exhaustion, Fire Services Director Andy Yeung said.

Police received multiple reports of residents trapped inside the buildings. Lo Hiu-fung, a member of the Tai Po District Council, told local broadcaster TVB that most of those trapped were believed to be elderly. The complex consists of eight blocks, containing nearly 2,000 apartments and home to roughly 4,800 people, according to official records.

Temporary shelters have been set up for those displaced by the fire. “I’ve given up thinking about my property,” a resident identified only as Wu told TVB. “Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.”

Tai Po is a suburban area in the northern New Territories, near the border with Shenzhen. Bamboo scaffolding remains widely used for construction and renovation across Hong Kong, though the government has recently introduced measures aimed at improving safety.

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