This is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in at least 63 years – already having surpassed the toll of the August 1962 inferno in the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood, which killed 44 people and displaced hundreds.
Built in the 1980s, Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s north-eastern Tai Po district comprises eight 31-storey buildings, seven of which went up in flames. The apartments here are sold at subsidised prices, but day-to-day affairs in the estate are managed by privately appointed firms.
According to the 2021 census, the complex was home to about 4,600 people – nearly 40% of whom were 65 or older.
The city’s fire department on Thursday said firefighters faced major challenges trying to rescue residents, including high temperatures, the risk of further scaffolding collapse, and the small and crowded interiors of the apartments.
Hong Kong is well-known for its tiny, densely packed inner-city dwellings, where many public rental housing tenants have, on average, a living space of just 14.1 square metres.
It is unclear how many people were in Wang Fuk Court when the fire broke out, but the more recent census figures suggest it is home to around 4,600 residents. Hundreds of them have been evacuated to temporary shelters, and some are being allocated emergency housing units.
While police are investigating whether mesh netting, plastic and canvas sheets used during renovations met fire safety standards, some experts believe the bamboo scaffolding connecting the apartment blocks helped fuel the inferno.
Such scaffolding is an iconic sight across Hong Kong, and widely used in construction.
Earlier this year, authorities announced plans to phase out bamboo in favour of sturdier, fire-resistant steel, citing bamboo’s combustibility and deterioration over time.
