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As night falls in Hong Kong, dozens of families continue to dealing with the aftermath of the deadly fire.
What happened?
At 14:51 local time on Wednesday (06:51 GMT), a fire broke out at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Tai Po, home to around 4,600 residents.
The fire ripped through the estate for over a day – before finally being put out on at around 10:18 local time (02:18 GMT) this morning.
What do we know?
At least 128 people are now known to have died in the fire and there are dozens still missing.
The fire service said that the fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively, after reports from residents that some didn’t go off – here’s what we know about the fire and how it could’ve spread so quickly.
Three men from a construction firm have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and there is a separate corruption investigation under way.
What happens next
An investigation will be taking place over the next few weeks, authorities say. Our reporter at the scene has spotted what appears to be investigators arriving wearing personal protective equipment.
Officials say that schemes will be set up to arrange financial assistance for those who have lost their homes.
Authorities say they don’t yet know what caused the Hong Kong high-rise fire – but have started to paint a picture of what could have contributed to its rapid spread.
Wang Fuk Court consists of eight tower blocks, each 31 storeys high. Seven have been affected by the fire. According to a 2021 government census, the complex provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents.
Flames were first spotted at 14:51 local time on Wednesday (06:51 GMT). According to a post on social media, six minutes later the fire had spread to other floors.
An hour and a half after it began, the fire had spread to at least two other towers.
Renovations were ongoing and police say they found materials on the outside of the buildings that aren’t believed to be fireproof – including plastic sheets.
In a press conference earlier, an official attributed the rapid spread of the fire to Styrofoam placed outside the windows of the apartment blocks.
The tower blocks were also covered in bamboo scaffolding, which is commonly used in Hong Kong.
There has been an official push to move away from the traditional material over safety concerns, although Hong Kongers have defended its use online.
Meanwhile some residents reported that their fire alarms didn’t sound, and authorities later said that alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.
Three people in charge of renovation works in the complex have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, with a police spokesperson saying there was “reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent”.
‘There was nothing we could do… together we watched our homes burn’
Mr Chan, in his 30s, had lived at Wang Fuk Court for most of his life.
He only moved out earlier this year, after getting married. But plenty of fond memories of his childhood home, and the many friends who still live nearby, remain.
After hearing about the fire, he says he rushed there immediately – but the complex was already cordoned off.
He stayed there with other residents, and saw the blaze grow. Within half an hour, five towers were up in flames, he says.
“We thought the fire would go out after all the mesh was burnt,” he says, but the ignited debris spread because of strong winds and explosions were heard from time to time.
“There were nothing we could do,” he says, choking up. “Together we watched our homes burn gradually.”
Chan adds: “I watched for two hours, but then felt there was no point in continuing. I couldn’t bear to keep watching how I lost my home.”
He says he takes solace in the fact that his parents were out of town at time of the fire.
Chan and his wife are now visiting shelters in the district to find out how they can help his parents apply for subsidies from the government and donors.
Sleepless nights for distraught family
Kwong Fuk Estate is only a stone’s throw away from Wang Fuk Court.
Here volunteers have set up collection points for supplies, some also provide free counselling service.
Mrs Cheng, in her 60s, is looking for white socks and other supplies for her grandchild, who needs to go to school next week.
Her son’s family can’t go back to their home after the fire, she says, and is now staying at her place in Kwong Fuk Estate.
The entire family has had trouble sleeping after the devastating blaze, she adds.
Crowds grow at community centre where identification of bodies taking place
The identification of bodies following the fire is organised at Kwong Fuk Community Hall, in Tai Po.
It has opened for a second day, for families searching for their loved ones following the Wang Fuk Court fire.
From early morning, relatives are reportedly given photo albums to check, hoping to match images with the bodies of the deceased brought in.
Police officers stand guard to maintain order as the crowd grows.
A lone woman chants Buddhist recitals, offering blessings to those who died and those still living.
Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers among the missing, charity sayspublished at 09:4609:46
As we’ve been reporting, authorities say dozens of people still remain missing after the fire.
According to a local charity that works with migrant workers, there are 19 Filipino and 11 Indonesian domestic workers among the missing.
Mission For Migrant Workers says it believes 119 Indonesians and 82 Filipinos worked in the towers affected – adding that it has so far identified two Indonesian workers that have died.
Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers among the missing, charity says
As we’ve been reporting, authorities say dozens of people still remain missing after the fire.
According to a local charity that works with migrant workers, there are 19 Filipino and 11 Indonesian domestic workers among the missing.
Mission For Migrant Workers says it believes 119 Indonesians and 82 Filipinos worked in the towers affected – adding that it has so far identified two Indonesian workers that have died.
Bamboo scaffolding at the centre of debate
As investigations continue into the cause of the deadly fire, an iconic Hong Kong construction material has found itself at the centre of a heated debate – bamboo scaffolding.
Experts have told the BBC that bamboo scaffolding, along with other construction materials found at the buildings, might have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
But online, Hong Kongers are defending the safety of the widely-used, traditional construction material.
Circulating on social media are videos of people demonstrating what they call the fire-resistance of bamboo – as well as those showing the flammability of the mesh nets used in construction.
According to initial investigations, police say they found mesh netting, and plastic and canvas sheets outside the buildings. Meanwhile fire officials noted the “unusual” presence of “extremely flammable” Styrofoam boards covering some windows of the apartment blocks.
Before the fire, there was already an official push to phase out bamboo scaffolding in favour of sturdier, fire-resistant steel, with authorities citing safety concerns.
This has sped up after the disaster, with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee saying that the government was considering replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal frameworks.
But this move has been met with scepticism among critics, who claim that the move away from bamboo would only serve the interests of mainland China’s steel industry.
‘I didn’t think the fire would reach my place’, says resident
Many residents staying at a shelter here are visibly traumatised, and unwilling to talk to the media.
Mrs Cheung, who doesn’t want to give her first name, says she was at a nearby market when the fire broke out.
Cheung says she saw smoke coming from the housing complex, but at the time it was some distance from her building.
“I didn’t think the fire would reach my place and I just went on shopping for groceries,” she says.
Her husband was also out at the time of the fire, and they’ve both been staying at the shelter since then.
Cheung says she has returned to her flat since the fire took hold – there wasn’t extensive damage, but parts of her apartment were burned and their was some shattered glass too.
She has been given a large reusable bag from volunteers – which she says she will use to pick up her belongings from her flat when she can return again.
The headlines
- At least 128 people are now known to have died in the tower block fire
- Seventy-nine people were injured and 16 bodies remain inside the buildings. Dozens of people are still missing
- Fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively, the fire service found
- The cause of the deadly fire has not yet been established, but the security chief said Styrofoam placed outside the windows caused it to spread rapidly
What else?
- All fires have been put out – at around 10:18 local time (02:18 GMT)
- Police will begin gathering evidence by entering the buildings today, with an investigation carried out over the next three to four weeks
- More than 1,018 units were forcibly entered and searched in an effort to find survivors
- Schemes will be set up by the government to provide financial assistance for those that have lost their homes
Styrofoam outside windows caused rapid spread of blaze, security chief says
Security Chief Tang Ping-Keung attributes the rapid spread of the fire to styrofoam placed outside the windows of the apartment blocks.
Officials say that multiple methods, including DNA sampling, will be used to identify deceased residents.
They add that information on the deceased will be released once it has been gathered.
