A devastating fire broke out in the high-rise residential buildings in Tai Po, Hong Kong’s New Territories, and raged for over 43 hours before finally being extinguished. As of 9 p.m. on November 28, the fire had claimed the lives of at least 128 people, with around 200 still missing. The death toll is expected to rise further, making this the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in over 60 years and leaving many questions unanswered.
On the afternoon of November 26 at 2:51 p.m., a fire erupted on the scaffolding of an external wall of a high-rise residential building in Hongfu Court, Tai Po, in Hong Kong’s New Territories. Hongfu Court is a complex consisting of eight buildings. At the time of the incident, the complex was undergoing renovation work, with bamboo scaffolding and green protective nets covering the facade. The fierce fire illuminated the sky as it engulfed the buildings.
According to a recent report by Mainland China’s Caixin, titled “The Tragedy of the Hongfu Court Fire,” on the afternoon of November 26 a small flame less than 1 meter high appeared at the bottom of the bamboo scaffolding of a building in Hongfu Court. A bystander relaxing in the nearby Yuanzhouzi Park captured the initial moments of the tragic event. Passersby shouted at the building, “Hey, is this a mistake? There’s a fire! What are the construction workers doing? Is there no alarm across the building?”
The entire building was enclosed by the bamboo scaffolding and green nets, and residents’ windows were covered with white foam boards to reduce noise and prevent dust from entering during the renovations. Nearly all residents had their windows tightly shut.
Mr. Fung, in his 60s, was unaware of what was happening outside his window. “I didn’t hear any alarms at that time,” Mr. Fung said. The foam board covering his window prevented him from seeing the thick smoke outside. It wasn’t until his wife, who was outside, saw news of the fire and urgently called him that Mr. Fung evacuated his home around 3 p.m.
All eight 31-story buildings of Hongfu Court in the New Territories were engulfed in flames. The scene was filled with thick smoke, with the fire spreading from bottom to top, from outside to inside, creating a massive inferno.
Hongfu Court is an old residential complex with a 42-year history. According to the 2021 census, the population of the complex totaled 4,643 people, with a median age of 56.6 years and 1,701 elderly residents aged 65 and above. Most households consist of 2-3 occupants.
“We have essentially become a home for the elderly,” said Mr. Pan, a survivor who lives alone. “The elderly residents opposite my house usually need a wheelchair to move around.”
The high number of elderly residents, aged infrastructure, and obstructive renovations added to the difficulty of escape.
On the afternoon of the 26th at 3:34 p.m., the fire was escalated to a Level 4 alarm. In less than 3 hours, it was further raised to a Level 5 alarm, just below the highest level of “Disaster level.” Level 5 indicates that the fire on-site is completely out of control, spreading rapidly, with a large amount of thick smoke and intense heat, leading to an increase in the number of casualties.
The catastrophic fire, dubbed the fire of the century, is believed to be a man-made disaster. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, with suspicions pointing towards the contractor using inappropriate materials during the renovations. The police are currently focusing on the flammable foam, with additional scrutiny on whether the nets met fire-retardant requirements. So far, three executives of the construction contractor have been arrested on suspicion of “manslaughter,” and eight individuals involved in the renovation project have been arrested on corruption charges, including engineering consultants, scaffolding subcontractors, and intermediaries. Three more individuals were arrested by the Corruption Commission on the evening of November 29.
While the fire has plunged the entire community into mourning, a civilian movement demanding government accountability quickly emerged but was met with official arrests. On November 28, the “Tai Po Hongfu Court Fire Concern Group” called for four demands to be thoroughly investigated, including “ensuring relocation, establishing an independent investigation commission, reviewing engineering supervision systems, and holding government officials accountable for regulatory negligence.” By November 29, they had collected over 5,000 online signatures.
However, on the evening of November 29, the police arrested the initiator of the petition, accusing him of “inciting.” That same day, the Beijing Liaison Office in Hong Kong openly stated that “anti-China troublemakers and those with ulterior motives are seizing the opportunity to cause trouble,” inciting social division and hatred towards the Chief Executive and the SAR government, and warning that “those who stir up chaos in Hong Kong” will be severely punished under the National Security Law.
According to sources quoted by the South China Morning Post, a man who previously launched a petition on the internet demanding a full investigation into the deadliest fire in Tai Po Hongfu Court in 80 years was questioned by Hong Kong police and brought in for questioning.
Another report from the South China Morning Post mentioned that a man was arrested on suspicion of “incitement” using the Hongfu Court fire but did not specify whether he was the same person being questioned by the police for initiating the petition.
The tragedy of the Hongfu Court fire has deeply impacted the entire Hong Kong society. Mourners have flocked to numerous condolence sites across the city, offering flowers and tears as a tribute to the victims. According to Xinhua News Agency, around noon on November 29 at the Wong Tai Sin Community Center in Kowloon, the solemn and sorrowful condolence site was crowded with people, with a central screen displaying “Condolences to the victims of the Tai Po fire” in white on a black background, surrounded by clusters of white flowers.
Amid mourning, Hong Kong citizens continued to visit condolence sites to express their sorrow and condolences to the victims of the Hongfu Court fire. In North Point on November 29, residents came to a condolence site at a community hall to write messages in the condolence book, expressing their sympathy for the victims.
In Wanchai on Hong Kong Island at the Morton Terrace Activity Center, the condolence book filled up to the third volume with densely written messages. Ms. Chan, who lives nearby, brought her children to the condolence site, where she wrote “Rest in peace” in the book. She expressed deep sorrow upon learning about the Hongfu Court fire, stating that it was essential for her children, though young, to participate in mourning, as it was a shared pain among all Hong Kongers.
In the New Territories, at the condolence site set up at the Huang Tsu Biao Secondary School of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, citizens had brought numerous bouquets of flowers. Ms. Zhou and her friends came together to express their condolences to the victims.
The multipurpose hall at the Fuhang Neighbourhood Community Center in Tai Po, the closest condolence site to the fire scene, saw a steady stream of people arriving early that day. Mr. Li, a resident of the community, described the complex emotions within him after such a major disaster in his neighborhood, saying, “I’ve cried many times these days.”