Three 31-storey towers, home to 2,000 residential apartments in Hong Kong’s Tai Po are in blaze: 767 firefighters, 400 police officers in action
Police receive multiple reports of people trapped in tower where blaze started; elderly man says wife stuck in building
Thirteen people including a firefighter have been killed and at least 16 others are critically injured in a fiery blaze ravaging Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighbourhood, as flames lash over bamboo scaffolding across all eight blocks of a housing estate with multiple other residents trapped inside.
Huge plumes of dark smoke billowed high into the sky at the scene at Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday, with the flames quickly spreading to at least four blocks in the estate and later the entire cluster.
The blaze was initially classified as a No 1 alarm fire but was quickly raised to No 4 by 3.34pm and then to the top-level No 5 at 6.22pm. In Hong Kong, fires are rated on a scale of one to five, with higher numbers indicating greater severity.
Footage from the scene shows bamboo scaffolding outside several flats of the building engulfed in flames, with burning sections of green scaffolding mesh falling to the ground.
Follow our live updates on the fire below.
Reporting by Leopold Chen, Danny Mok, Vivian Au, Jess Ma, Lo Hoi-ying, Jeffie Lam, Matthew Cheng and Fiona Sun.
The death toll has risen by one to 13, the fire department says.
A total of 28 people were found injured, with nine certified dead at the scene while four died in hospital. Another six are in serious condition.
New People’s Party, founded by Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, has become the second party to announce that it will suspend all election campaign activities in light of the catastrophic fire.
The party has fielded eight candidates to run in the coming Legco election on December 7.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong earlier said it would suspend its campaigns.
A woman surnamed Kam, in her sixties and a resident of the adjacent Kwong Fuk Estate, is in a nearby park watching the burning building.
She says several of her friends live in Wang Fuk Court, and all have been accounted for except one woman in her seventies in Wang Cheong House, who usually naps at the time the fire broke out. Her daughters have been unable to reach her, Kam says.
Kam is not too worried about her own flat, about 200 metres from the scene as it appears unlikely to be affected.
The Hong Kong Red Cross has activated its mental health support hotline, staffed with more than 20 psychologists and trained volunteers on hand.
The hotline will remain open until midnight, and will operate from 10am to 10pm on Thursday and Friday. Affected residents can call 51645040.
At least eight residents are calling for help as they are still trapped, according to an online document initiated by residents for those in need to state their locations.
A resident in the neighbourhood who cycled past Wang Fuk Court spotted the scaffolding ablaze on one of the buildings about 2pm on Wednesday and alerted the police, a source says.
Nearly six hours after the report, the fire has yet to be extinguished.
Fay Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said there had been numerous fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year, resulting in at least five casualties.
She urged the government to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire.
Twelve people – eight women, three men and a firefighter – have perished in the fire, the Post has learned.
Another 16 people have been injured. Firefighters are still working to put out the blaze.
Four more temporary shelters have been opened for residents to spend the night as the blaze rages on.
The Tai Po Community Centre, the community hall at Fu Shin Estate, Good House – a transitional public housing estate – and Fu Shin Sports Centre will be open to the 1,900-odd affected households from the estate.
By 7.36pm, CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School, which had also turned into a temporary shelter, had taken in 400 residents, while Tai Po Community Centre and Tung Cheong Street Sports Centre had accommodated 74 and 34 people respectively.
A pet rescue organisation has estimated that more than 100 pets are trapped inside the estate.
Zoie Cheng Kam-shan, business development director of the Hong Kong Pet Club, said the organisation had deployed two pet ambulances to the scene to receive animals rescued from the fire and transfer them to nearby veterinary clinics.
“We estimate that every block has more than 10 animals of different species,” she said. “We have received over 70 reports but are receiving more. So I estimate that there will be more than 100.”
A spokesman for the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong announced that the party would suspend all election campaign activities in light of the tragedy caused by the fire.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu says he has activated an emergency incidents monitoring and support centre to receive reports from the Security Bureau and the Fire Services Department and direct rescue work.
“The fire has caused multiple casualties and injuries. I express my deepest sorrow and condolences to the families of the deceased and injured,” Lee says on his Facebook page.
A photo of the meeting shows Lee with security minister Chris Tang Ping-keung, labour and welfare minister Chris Sun Yuk-han, health minister Lo Chung-mau, housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin and other top bureaucrats.
A resident of Wang Yan House surnamed Cheung expresses anger over the Fire Services Department’s failure to control the blaze.
She says her home is several blocks away from Wang Cheong House, the building where the fire first broke out.
“I thought about not evacuating at first, figuring the fire was far away, and there was no need to run,” said the 40-year-old resident, who eventually decided to leave.
“It’s already like a chain of boats on fire, with no one putting out the flames – they’re just watching the buildings burn. Are we all going to end up sleeping on the streets together?”
Cheung says she has seen construction workers smoking, and notices had been issued to fine the workers after residents complained.
But she questioned whether these measures were effective and wondered if smoking might have caused the fire.
A senior police officer from Tai Po tells the Post that it is impossible to carry out a “floor sweeping” operation to confirm all flats have been cleared given the flames in none of the blocks have been fully extinguished.
Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin told the press at Prince of Wales Hospital that the firefighter who had died was a 37-year-old surnamed Ho, who served at the Sha Tin Fire Station.
According to Yeung, Ho arrived at the scene at 3.01pm to battle the blaze on the ground floor. However, he lost contact with his colleagues at 3.30pm and was later found with burns to his face at 4.01pm at Wang Cheong House.
Ho was pronounced dead at 4.45pm. The fire services chief said that another firefighter had also been admitted to hospital with heatstroke.
An emotional resident confronts police officers at the cordons, crying out that her family members are still trapped inside.
But officers refuse to let the woman through as others try to calm her.
“I don’t know if they are OK,” she exclaims.
A primary school opposite Wang Fuk Court has voluntarily opened its campus as a temporary shelter for residents.
“As we saw that the official shelters were packed with residents, and some elderly faced difficulties climbing the stairs and walking there, so we opened our indoor playground for them to rest,” says Li Man-fai, vice-principal of SKH Yuen Chen Maun Chen Primary School.
He says the school has provided water and snacks, with around 100 residents there.
A man surnamed Fung says he still has no idea about the whereabouts of his 80-year-old mother-in-law, who has just recovered from pneumonia but is in poor condition.
“I don’t know whether she is still trapped inside, or which hospital she was sent to,” Fung says.
Tai Po district councillor Berry Mui Siu-fong, who was at the scene at about 6.30pm, tells the Post that all blocks are on fire.
He says that only the blaze in one block is under control, and from what he has seen, the fire has spread into flats.
Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree living in the community, says the fire alarms failed to go off when the blaze broke out in the afternoon, despite the buildings being equipped with them.
“If someone was sleeping then, they were done,” he says, adding that residents had to flee on their own.
Chan says that he has long raised concerns about the quality of work of the external wall project and workers’ smoking to the management office, but all his grievances went unaddressed.
Former district councillor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho tells the Post that residents reported the fire alarms did not go off, even after they smelled something burning.
He says residents were only alerted when a security guard knocked on their doors, leaving them with little time to evacuate.
The last time Hong Kong experienced a No 5 alarm fire was the Cornwall Court blaze in 2008. The fire, which started in a karaoke bar and nightclub in Mong Kok, killed four people, including two firefighters, and injured 55 people.
Wang Tao Court residents Miss Wong and her son stand in a park, helplessly watching the buildings go up in flames.
The air fills with popping sounds as falling debris crashes to the ground, while hundreds of residents and pedestrians gather nearby.
Wong estimates that some residents were still trapped in the buildings.
Wong and her son, long-time residents living on a lower floor, express frustration, questioning why firefighters have not deployed water bombs to speed up the operation, especially with the sea so close by.
Her son says that the exterior wall renovation project that was scheduled to finish by May has dragged on for more than a year.
The family say they have not noticed any smoking-related issues linked to the project.
A government spokeswoman says the Tai Po fire has resulted in four deaths and five injuries, as of 6.45pm. Among the injured, three people are in critical condition, one is seriously injured and another is in a stable condition.
The latest tally has included two more injured than in the previous count released at 5pm.
The fire has been raised to a No 5 alarm, the highest level in the city.
It was upgraded nearly three hours after it was classified as a No 4 alarm.
As of 6.50pm, at least seven ambulances had been dispatched to the site.
The police force announces that it has set up a casualty hotline for the public. Residents who wish to make an enquiry about casualties in the fire can call 1878999 for more information.
The top of Wang Yan House on the estate caught fire at 6.30pm after external scaffolding was alight for more than half an hour.
Police extended the closed-off area to bar people from entering the space in front of the building.
Pedestrians 100 metres away reported feeling intense heat. An officer at the scene says the building appears to have been fully evacuated when they swept floor to floor, though it remains unclear whether anyone is still inside.
Calls to police are still flooding in almost three hours after the blaze was upgraded to a No 4 alarm, with one resident stranded on the rooftop.
As of 6.30pm, a spokesman told the Post that police were still receiving calls for help from residents and family members.
These included a report of a resident trapped on the rooftop of Wang Tai House, and calls from concerned family members who could not locate loved ones living in Wang Cheong House.
Former district councillor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho tells the Post at around 6pm that at least 13 people, including eight elderly residents and two babies, were still trapped in the blaze as of one to two hours ago. He adds that some of those individuals could not be reached.
Fourteen cats were also trapped, he says.
Kenny Tam, a 45-year-old retail worker, says the renovation of the buildings’ external walls has been going for about a year, with some residents complaining about the quality of the work.
“Some said they also found workers smoking. Such complaints have been going on for half a year,” he says.
The cause of the blaze remains uncertain.
Hotlines for the Fire Services Department and police were jammed at about 4pm as calls for help surged, the Post has learned.
A force spokesman told the Post that officers had been responding to calls from affected residents, family members who had lost contact with their loved ones in the housing estate, as well as people who had breathing difficulties and required help from firefighters.
As of 6pm, police have been knocking on doors at two blocks in Kwong Fuk Estate, a nearby public housing estate, telling residents living in Kwong Lai House and Kwong Yau House to evacuate.
Residents, including elderly people with walking sticks and those in wheelchairs, have headed to CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School, now serving as temporary shelter.
From there, they will be taken by coach to Kwong Fuk Community Hall and Tung Cheong Street Community Hall, which will remain open overnight for those affected by the fire.
Meanwhile, some residents in unaffected blocks who were able to return to their homes have packed their essential belongings into suitcases.
Tai Po District Office has set up a help desk at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital for help and enquiries, which can be reached at 2658 4040.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court expressed frustration over the spread of the fire and questioned the tactics used to extinguish it after flames reached other blocks of the estate.
“When there’s a wildfire, they will deploy helicopters and drop water bombs, but why is there no such deployment and how can they leave other buildings burning?” says a resident in her sixties, who only wishes to be identified as Mrs Poon.
“The community is so close to the fire station and we thought the fire could be put out soon, but now the fire has spread. I’m so disappointed,” she adds, noting that she received no instructions from the government on where to seek help.
Another resident, surnamed Wong, rushed home from work in Kwai Chung after hearing the news, saying: “It’s so chaotic. No instructions from the government at all.”
Flats in the buildings have been engulfed by the inferno.
The estate comprises 1,984 flats and is home to about 4,000 residents. The blaze is expected to have a significant impact on the community and the estate.
The fire has been burning for two hours since it was upgraded to a No 4 alarm.
A 71-year-old man, surnamed Wong, breaks down in tears, saying his wife is trapped in the fire. Overcome with fear, he stands helpless and unable to act.
A mother hugs her crying son, and another resident folds her hands in prayer, as they stare at the burning estate.
The No 4 fire has drawn large crowds to gather around the area, some covering their noses to avoid inhaling the thick smoke, while residents look on in dismay at the damage to their homes.
Tai Po Baptist Public School, a nearby primary school, has advised parents heading there for Primary One registration to stay away from the area because of the fire.
As of 5pm, seven people have been sent to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment. Among them, four were confirmed dead, two are in critical condition and another is in stable condition.
According to authorities, the fire broke out at 2.51pm, and was upgraded to a No 3 alarm blaze at 3.02pm and No 4 at 3.34pm.
A No 4 alarm fire has hit Hong Kong in the past, most notably in 2016, when a blaze swept through an industrial building in Ngau Tau Kok, Kowloon.
The fire burned for four days, and tragically claimed the lives of two firefighters.
The first building in Wang Fuk Court to catch fire was Wang Cheong House, with the force receiving a report at 2:52pm.
Later in the afternoon, the neighbouring Wang Tai House and Wang Shing House, located on either side of Wang Cheong House, also caught fire.
The Post has learned that a firefighter has been injured at the scene. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin is heading to Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin to follow up on the injury.
The Hong Kong Observatory has maintained a red fire danger warning since Monday morning, indicating an extremely high risk of fire.
The forecaster issues the fire danger warnings based on conditions such as relative humidity, wind speed and dryness of vegetation.
There are eight blocks and more than 1,900 flats in Wang Fuk Court.
The Incorporated Owners of the estate made headlines last year for approving a HK$330 million renovation proposal, a plan that has faced considerable dissatisfaction from numerous property owners.
All lanes of Tai Po Road (Yuen Chau Tsai) towards Sha Tin near Kwong Wang Street have been closed off due to the fire, according to the Transport Department.
Slip road lanes leading from Tolo Highway to Tai Po Road (Yuen Chau Tsai) are also closed.
Bus operator KMB says Kowloon-bound services 72, 72A, 73A, 74A, 73X and 75X have been diverted, as well as 71K in both directions.
Citybus routes 79, B8 and 307 have also been affected.
The Transport Department has called on motorists to use alternative routes while residents should consider using railway services.
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