Firefighters work to extinguish a fireplace which broke out at Wang Fuk Court docket, a residential property within the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025.
Chan Lengthy Hei/AP
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Chan Lengthy Hei/AP
A hearth unfold throughout seven high-rise condo buildings in a Hong Kong housing advanced, killing 13 individuals and leaving others nonetheless trapped, the town’s hearth providers mentioned Wednesday.
9 individuals have been declared lifeless on the scene and 4 others who have been despatched to the hospital have been later confirmed lifeless, authorities informed reporters. Not less than 15 others have been injured, and about 700 individuals have been evacuated to short-term shelters.
Smoke rises after a fireplace broke out at Wang Fuk Court docket, a residential property within the Tai Po district of Hong Kong’s New Territories on Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025.
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Chan Lengthy Hei/AP
The raging hearth despatched up a column of flames and thick smoke because it unfold rapidly on bamboo scaffolding and building netting that had been arrange across the exterior of the housing advanced in Tai Po district, within the New Territories. Information present the housing advanced consisted of eight blocks with virtually 2,000 flats housing about 4,800 individuals.
Video from the scene confirmed a number of buildings shut to one another ablaze, with vibrant flames and smoke capturing out of most of the flats’ home windows as evening fell. Authorities mentioned a whole bunch of firefighters, cops and paramedics have been deployed, and video confirmed firefighters aiming water on the intense flames from excessive up on ladder vans.
The blaze began mid afternoon and after dusk authorities upgraded it to a degree 5 alarm, the best degree of severity, the Fireplace Companies Division mentioned. The hearth was nonetheless raging late into the evening, and authorities mentioned situations remained very difficult for firefighters.
Flames engulf a constructing.
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Chan Lengthy Hei/AP
“Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings are falling down,” mentioned Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fireplace Companies (Operations). “The temperature inside the buildings concerned (is) very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.”
It was not instantly recognized what prompted the hearth. Officers mentioned the hearth began on the exterior scaffolding of one of many buildings and later unfold to contained in the constructing and likewise to close by blocks, seemingly aided by windy situations. The division mentioned it acquired “numerous” calls requesting help and a few residents remained trapped as of Wednesday evening native time.
Firefighters deployed 128 hearth vans and 57 ambulances to the scene.
The lifeless included one firefighter and one other was being handled for warmth exhaustion, Fireplace Companies Division Director Andy Yeung informed reporters.
Lo Hiu-fung, a Taipo District Council member, informed native TV station TVB earlier Wednesday that a lot of the residents trapped within the hearth have been believed to be aged individuals.
District officers in Tai Po have opened short-term shelters for individuals left homeless by the hearth.
“I’ve given up thinking about my property,” a resident who solely offered his surname, Wu, informed TVB. “Watching it burn like that was really frustrating.”
Tai Po is a suburban space within the New Territories, within the northern a part of Hong Kong and close to the border with the mainland Chinese language metropolis of Shenzhen.
Bamboo scaffolding is a typical sight in Hong Kong at constructing building and renovation initiatives, although the federal government mentioned earlier this yr that it could begin phasing it out for public initiatives due to security issues.
