Hong Kong's Seven Burning Towers: Death Toll Rises To 83

The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades continued to climb as rescuers combed through the burned-out hulks of seven residential towers, and authorities rushed to assist survivors and address questions of accountability.

At least 83 people were dead from the fatal fire, the South China Morning Post reported on early Friday citing the Fire Services Department. It was unclear how many people were still unaccounted for after the blaze tore through the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in the suburb of Tai Po, once home to about 4,600 people.

The fire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon, was finally brought under control on Thursday, though small fires were still visible in some of the apartments. The blaze began on a section of bamboo scaffolding erected for a HK$315.5 million ($40.6 million) renovation project, and quickly curled around the compact cluster of high rises.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited the disaster site Thursday. He didn’t confirm whether all residents from Wang Fuk Court were accounted for, after earlier in the day saying hundreds were missing. The city leader earlier ordered a city-wide inspection of all housing estates undergoing major renovations. At a snap briefing, he announced each affected family would receive HK$10,000 in relief. Flanked by several officials, he pledged the government would completely replace bamboo scaffolding and ensure the transition to metal ones.

Residents displaced by the fire will be sheltered in temporary accommodation. About 1,800 units of transitional housing will then be freed up — roughly equivalent to estate’s entire housing stock. Volunteers rushed to the site and corporate donations have been pouring in, including from the Jockey Club, which pledged to provide as much as HK$170 million to support those affected by the disaster.

The unprecedented high-rise blaze comes at a delicate time for Hong Kong. The global finance hub is rebuilding its image on the world stage after mass street protests, a national security crackdown and stringent Covid controls attracted criticism from some Western governments. Officials are days away from hosting heavily promoted legislative elections — Lee will decide whether to postpone in the coming days. 

A criminal investigation will now follow. 

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said earlier that investigators had found foam boards covering windows in the lone building that escaped the flames. “These foam boards are highly flammable and the fire spread very quickly, so we found their presence unusual,” he added. 

Netting and plastic sheeting encasing the buildings also burned far more intensely than expected, he said. Police have arrested three senior figures from an engineering company on suspicion of manslaughter. Renovation works at Wang Fuk Court were carried out by Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Bloomberg News visited Prestige’s office on Thursday, but the shutters were down and no one responded despite repeated knocking. Phone calls to the office went unanswered.

Authorities had inspected the site several times and had warned the contractor about the fire hazard, including as recently as last week, the Labour Department said. The construction company is involved in 11 other residential building projects in Hong Kong, according to the government.

Deadly fires have prompted major housing policy overhauls in Hong Kong in the past. Most notably, the Shek Kip Mei fire in 1953 that displaced tens of thousands of refugees led to the start of the city’s public housing program, with the government providing resettlement housing for the residents.