The death toll from Hong Kong’s biggest fire in decades increased to 128 on Friday, with many still missing, as authorities reported that fire alarms in the residential estate towers had malfunctioned.
Families searched hospitals and victim identification stations for their loved ones, with over 200 people still missing and 89 bodies unidentified.
Flames raced swiftly across the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in the Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, engulfing seven of the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno.
The fire was “largely extinguished” by Friday morning after blazing for more than 40 hours, according to the fire services, who also announced that they had completed their search for survivors in over 1,800 flats.
Authorities are looking into what caused the fire, including the bamboo scaffolding and netting wrapped around the property as part of a major restoration.
The Hong Kong government said on Friday that the fire appears to have begun under protective netting on the lower levels of one of the towers, with foam boards and bamboo scaffolding contributing to its spread.
Fire chief Andy Yeung previously stated the alarm systems in all eight blocks “were malfunctioning.”
“We will take enforcement actions against the contractors responsible,” Yeung told a press conference.
Residents had to alert neighbors to the danger by running door-to-door. On Friday morning, workers brought out bodies in black bags, with an AFP reporter counting four in one 15-minute period.
Corpses were unloaded at a mortuary in nearby Sha Tin, with families arriving in the afternoon for identification.
At one hospital in Sha Tin, a woman named Wong was looking for her sister-in-law.
“We still cannot find them. So we are going to different hospitals to ask if they have good news,” the 38-year-old told AFP in tears.
“We were already waiting at the Prince of Wales Hospital on the first day, but there was no news. We also came here yesterday.”
According to Wong, the last time anyone spoke with the twins was Wednesday afternoon, around the time the fire was detected.
“One building went up in flames, and it spread to two more blocks in less than 15 minutes,” a 77-year-old eyewitness surnamed Mui told AFP.
“It was very quick. It was burning red; I shudder to think about it.”
The inferno was Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when an explosion followed by a fire killed at least 135 people.
Lethal infernos were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighborhoods, but improved safety measures have made them far less common.
The city’s security chief, Chris Tang, mentioned that the investigation into the fire’s causes could take up to three to four weeks.
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body announced on Thursday that it had launched an investigation into renovation work at the complex, just hours after police said they had arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site.
The Labour government told AFP on Friday that it has performed 16 inspections of Wang Fuk Court’s maintenance work since July 2024, the most recent on November 20, following which the government issued written warnings to remind the contractor to “implement appropriate fire prevention measures.”
Following the accident, Hong Kong authorities will quickly inspect all housing estates undertaking substantial work, and in the long run, they will consider relocating building sites to metal scaffolding.
The Hong Kong government has launched a HK$300 million ($38.5 million) fund to assist victims of the fire.
City officials said they had created nine shelters and were putting together temporary housing and emergency cash for people who had lost their homes.
Activities around Hong Kong’s legislative elections on December 7 have been halted.
By Friday, a spontaneous community effort to assist firefighters and others who had been displaced had turned into a smooth operation.
Separate supply stations for clothing, food, and home supplies had been put up in a public space near the towers, along with medical and psychological treatment booths.
So much money was donated that organizers issued a social media appeal stating that no more donations were required.
