26-28 November 2025
A large fire broke out at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong, spreading across seven of its eight high-rise towers. The estate, home to almost 5,000 residents, became the site of Hong Kong’s deadliest residential fire in decades. Dozens of floors were affected and hundreds of flats were damaged or destroyed.
Background
Wang Fuk Court is a high-density Home Ownership Scheme estate built in the early 1980s, consisting of eight 31-32 storey towers. At the time of the fire, all blocks were under major exterior renovation, with bamboo scaffolding and green netting around the façades. Investigators later identified flammable foam materials and netting used around lift shafts and external surfaces as key factors in the speed and intensity of the fire’s spread, alongside the failure of internal fire alarm systems.
Legacy
– At least 150 people killed and dozens injured, including residents and one firefighter, with many still unaccounted for in the immediate aftermath
– Thousands of residents displaced and rehoused in temporary shelters and community facilities
– Widely recognised as Hong Kong’s worst residential fire in generations, prompting public grief and scrutiny of renovation practices, fire alarms and high-rise safety in public estates
– Launch of large-scale criminal and anti-corruption investigations into renovation contracts, materials and oversight at Wang Fuk Court
