Hong Kong firefighters rush to finish final search after blaze kills 128

Hong Kong emergency services continued scouring a devastated high-rise housing complex on Friday after a massive blaze tore through seven of its eight towers, leaving at least 128 people dead in one of the territory’s worst fire disasters in decades.

Firefighters were conducting apartment-by-apartment searches at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, prioritising units from which residents had made more than two dozen distress calls as the fire raged but could not be reached in time. Derek Armstrong Chan, Deputy Director of Fire Services, said rescuers were forcing entry into every affected unit to ensure no victims were overlooked.

The death toll, which rose again on Friday afternoon as more bodies were recovered, is expected to increase further. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said the search for victims was still under way and no final figure for the missing could be confirmed until the operation concluded.

Scaffolding fuelled rapid spread

The blaze erupted on Wednesday afternoon in one of the estate’s towers and jumped rapidly to neighbouring buildings, accelerated by bamboo scaffolding wrapped in netting for ongoing renovation works. Within a short period, seven residential blocks were engulfed.

More than 1,000 firefighters battled the inferno for nearly 24 hours before bringing it under control. Even two days later, smoke continued to drift from the charred structures as occasional flare-ups were extinguished.

Authorities estimate that nearly 2,000 flats and around 4,800 residents were housed in the complex, making it unclear how many people may still be inside. Around 900 survivors were moved to temporary shelters, while more than 70 people, including 11 firefighters, were injured.

Focus on renovation works and safety lapses

The 1980s-era complex had been undergoing major refurbishment, and investigators are examining whether renovation materials contributed to the unusually swift spread of the flames. Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption has opened an inquiry into suspected misconduct linked to the project.

Police have arrested three men, two directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, on suspicion of manslaughter, citing potential gross negligence. Although authorities have not publicly named the firm, the Associated Press confirmed that Prestige Construction and Engineering Company had been overseeing the renovation work. Police seized boxes of documents from the company’s office, where calls went unanswered.

Investigators also discovered highly flammable plastic foam panels fixed near lift lobbies in the only unaffected tower. The purpose of the panels remains unclear, but police believe they were installed by the construction contractor.

Authorities have announced immediate inspections of other housing estates undergoing major renovations to verify that scaffolding and construction materials meet fire-safety standards.

Deadliest fire in decades

Most deaths occurred in the first two towers engulfed by flames. Officials said the search operation was expected to finish later on Friday, at which point the rescue phase would formally end.

The disaster is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in almost 80 years. The previous major incident was a 1996 commercial-building fire in Kowloon that killed 41 people. The city’s worst blaze on record, a warehouse fire in 1948, claimed 176 lives.