The terrible fire that devastated the skyscrapers in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong (China) caused at least 128 deaths and almost 100 injuries. The causes of the fire have not yet been clarified by the authorities, who have opened an investigation into negligence: renovation works were underway on the 8 towers, each with 31 floors, for which no fireproof materials were used – including green plastic nets and polystyrene to cover the windows. Three executives of the renovation company were arrested by the police.
Professor Raffaella Endrizzi, professor of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kongconfirmed to Geopop how «the use of non-certified or non-fireproof materials represents a significant violation, because the net has a decisive role in the spread or containment of a fire».
The flames – which broke out around 2.51pm on 26 November – were put out by the Fire Brigade 48 hours after the fire broke out: the residential buildings housed around 2,000 apartments, for a total of 4,600 residents, most of whom were elderly. Over 900 evacuees were directed to emergency shelters built specifically for the incident.
How did the flames spread so quickly: the dynamics
According to the reconstructions provided by the authorities, the fire in the residential complex Wang Fuk Courtin the Tai Po district, would have broken out on the afternoon of Wednesday 26 November 2025 at around 2.51pm (local time, 7.51am in Italy), the time when the first report was received to the Fire Brigade. The flames broke out in block F: in the 5 minutes it took to reach the site, the fire spread at an impressive speed through the external scaffolding. In about four hours the flames reached the area 7 of the 8 skyscrapers (of 31 floors each) which are part of the complex, as confirmed by Tai Po district councilor Mui Siu-fung.
At 3.34pm, less than an hour after the fire started, the authorities raised the emergency to level 4, and then raised it to level 5 at 6.22pm, the maximum foreseen by the emergency procedure. Authorities also found that fire alarms did not work effectively in any of the eight skyscrapers.
The speed with which the fire spread was impressive: the first reconstructions indicate that the fire would have spread rapidly not only due to the presence of bamboo scaffolding that surrounded several towers – given the ongoing renovation works -, but also because of the protective nets and plastic sheets installed on the exterior of buildings.
The flames were extinguished more than 48 hours after the fire broke out. At the time of writing, the certified victims have risen to 128 (with around 200 missing): this is the most destructive and lethal fire in the recent history of Hong Kong.
How the rescue operations took place: over 2,311 firefighters
In total, according to official data, over 2,311 firefighters intervened on the site, of which 12 were injured during the operations, assisted by 400 police officers, 391 fire engines and 188 ambulances.
According to reconstructions, the intervention was extremely complicated: the intensity of the heat prevented firefighters from entering the buildings, with some sections of the buildings reaching temperatures above 200°C. The Hong Kong command highlighted how the combination of high temperatures, the risk of further scaffolding collapses and the small and crowded interiors of the apartments made rescue operations difficult.
Built in 1983, the skyscrapers of the Wang Fuk complex had a total of 1,984 apartments, for approximately 4,600 residents. According to the latest census, 40% of tenants are at least 65 years old or older. The government said at least 900 residents had been evacuated and redirected to emergency shelters set up specifically for the purpose.
From polystyrene to windows to plastic nets: investigations for negligence
As highlighted by Reutersresidents of the Wang Fuk Court complex had previously expressed concerns about the renovation work as early as September 2024, in particular about the potential flammability of the green protective netting – clearly visible in all images – used by contractors to cover the bamboo scaffolding around the buildings.
Hong Kong police said on Thursday that the external walls of the buildings in the complex “were equipped with protective nets, waterproof tarpaulins, plastic sheets and other non-fireproof materials, suspected of not meeting fire safety standards”. On this point, Professor Raffaella Endrizzi (professor of the Faculty of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong) explained to Geopop that:
The installed nets did not comply with fire safety standards, as confirmed by the authorities. The use of non-certified or non-fireproof materials represents a significant violation, because the mesh plays a decisive role in the spread or containment of a fire. It should also be remembered that scaffolders must be certified, as bamboo erection requires very specific technical skills.
During the first inspections of the residential complex, expanded polystyrene panels were also found on the outside of the windows, clearly not compliant with fire regulations: “this illegal practice meant that the fire spread extremely quickly”, concluded Endrizzi.
The causes of the fire, however, have not yet been confirmed by the authorities, who have opened investigations: shortly after the accident, three senior managers of the renovation company, the Prestige Constructionwere arrested on charges of manslaughter.
