On November 26, a level five fire broke out at the Grand Blessings Estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The fire was temporarily extinguished, but more than 30 hours after the blaze started, flames once again emerged from the windows of the building in the early hours of November 28.
According to a report by Sing Tao Headline, flames and thick smoke reappeared from a unit in the Grand Path Court around 5 a.m. on November 28. Firefighters deployed aerial ladders and continuously sprayed water towards the source of the fire to extinguish it.
The Hong Kong Fire Department reported on November 28 that the fire at Grand Blessings Estate has resulted in 94 deaths and 78 injuries, with 12 in critical condition and 28 severely injured. Among the deceased, one was a 37-year-old firefighter, and two were Indonesian domestic helpers.
Public records indicate that this is the deadliest fire in nearly 80 years in Hong Kong since the 1948 Yung An Warehouse Fire, which claimed 176 lives.
The major blaze has mostly been put out, but authorities do not rule out the possibility of the death toll rising further. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam stated early yesterday morning that 279 people are still unaccounted for.
In response to this tragedy, most newspapers in Hong Kong blackened their front page headlines today as a sign of mourning. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV, along with leaders, foreign ministers, and consulates in Hong Kong from various countries, have expressed condolences and sympathies to the victims and their families through different means.