Hong Kong: Lives, belongings reduced to ash; 44 killed, 300 missing in skeletal high-rise buildings

A massive blaze continues to rage through a Hong Kong apartment complex, killing at least 44 people and leaving nearly 300 unaccounted for. Police said on Thursday the fire may have been fueled by unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work. Hong Kong police superintendent Eileen Chung said three men from the construction firm — two directors and an engineering consultant — had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire.

Firefighters worked overnight, but extreme heat and thick smoke hampered their efforts to reach residents trapped on the upper floors of Wang Fuk Court, a housing complex in the northern Tai Po district with 2,000 units across eight buildings. The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon.

Officials said crews brought the fire in four of the blocks under control by early Thursday, while efforts to contain the fire in the remaining three blocks were still ongoing after over 15 hours.

"We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties," Reuters quoted Chung as saying.

Hong Kong high-rise fire: Video shows building continuing to burn

Videos from the scene showed flames continuing to shoot from at least two of the 32-storey towers, with thick smoke pouring from several others.

Police said that, besides the buildings being wrapped in protective mesh and plastic materials that may not comply with fire safety standards, they also found that some windows on one of the unaffected blocks had been sealed with foam installed by a construction company performing maintenance work.

Meanwhile, the death toll is now the highest from a fire in Hong Kong since World War II, exceeding the 41 fatalities from a 1996 blaze in a Kowloon commercial building. Hong Kong’s extremely high property prices have long fueled public frustration, and the tragedy may further intensify resentment toward authorities ahead of the citywide legislative election in early December.

The Transport Department said several roads in the Tai Po area would remain closed on Thursday morning, and 39 bus routes had been diverted. The Education Bureau announced that at least six schools would be closed on Thursday due to the fire and resulting traffic disruptions. A public inquiry previously led to extensive revisions to building codes and fire safety rules for high-rise offices, shops and residential buildings.

(With inputs from Reuters)