Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Hong Kong is reeling from one of the deadliest disasters in its modern history after a massive fire swept through a sprawling public housing estate in the Tai Po district, killing at least 83 people and leaving more than 200 others unaccounted for. The blaze, which tore through multiple towers of the Wang Fuk Court complex, has shocked a city known for its stringent building standards, dense urban landscape and strong public safety record.
More than 24 hours after the first alarm was raised, at least two residential blocks continued to burn, with temperatures inside the buildings so intense that firefighters were unable to reach residents trapped on upper floors. Local broadcaster RTHK reported that one man was pulled alive from the 16th floor of a burning tower on Thursday, offering a rare moment of relief amid the unfolding tragedy.
The housing estate, home to over 4,000 residents many of them elderly was undergoing renovation at the time of the fire. The buildings were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and protective netting, a common construction method in Hong Kong and parts of mainland China. Authorities are now investigating whether the materials surrounding the towers, including polystyrene boards reportedly blocking several apartment windows, may have fueled the blaze and accelerated its spread.
According to officials, the fire began at Wang Cheong House, a 32-story residential tower and one of eight high-rise blocks in the complex. The Hong Kong Fire Department said the first emergency call came shortly before 3 p.m. local time. When crews arrived, they found the scaffolding and safety netting already engulfed in flames. As firefighters battled the initial blaze, strong winds and burning debris caused the fire to leap from one building to the next, transforming what began as a single-structure incident into a multi-building catastrophe.
By nightfall, seven of the estate’s eight towers had been affected, forcing thousands of residents to flee to temporary shelters set up by emergency services. Many others, however, remained trapped as the inferno intensified; rescuers reported encountering extreme heat and falling debris that made it nearly impossible to enter some floors.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said that by early Thursday morning, fires in three buildings had been extinguished, with four others still showing “scattered traces of fire.” By Thursday evening, Lee said the fires were “basically under control,” though the number of missing residents remained uncertain. Authorities noted that some of those listed as missing may be safe but unreachable amid the chaos.
Fire officials stressed that they were aware of the locations of many trapped residents but were unable to reach them due to temperatures too high for rescue teams or equipment to withstand. The ongoing criminal investigation will examine not only the cause of the fire but also whether safety procedures were adequately followed during the renovation process.
As Hong Kong confronts the scope of the tragedy, questions are mounting over how such a devastating fire could occur in one of the world’s most densely populated and technically advanced cities. For now, rescue teams continue to work around the clock in the hope of finding survivors in the charred remains of the towers.
