Dozens dead and hundreds missing in large high-rise fire in Hong Kong
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CONTINUING STORY *To be updated:
According to international media reports, a deadly fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has killed at least 36 people. On Wednesday afternoon, November 26, 279 people were still reported missing and there were also reports of residents trapped inside burning apartments.
Emergency crews have been working across multiple high-rise buildings in Tai Po as rescue efforts continued. Thick smoke and falling debris have hampered access, with helicopters and ladder trucks deployed.
Authorities fear the death toll may rise as search teams reach upper floors.
According to the BBC, more than 800 firefighters were at the scene trying to tackle the blaze at Wang Fuk Court - with Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee saying to the media outlet that the fire is now coming under control.
Cover Photo Above: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
A photo of the Tai Po apartment fire and fire engines deployed in the operation, taken by CNS
By 中国新闻社 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZNN9L9GXFQ, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178980078
This video, screenshot or audio excerpt was originally uploaded on YouTube under a CC BY license.
Their website states: "YouTube allows users to mark their videos with a Creative Commons CC BY license."
![Middle Photo: The burning complex at at 20:19:05 HKT as seen from Platform 1 of MTR Tai Po Market station some 200 feet (61 m) southwest;[15] Kwong Fuk Estate, uninvolved, is on the left. 26th of November 2025, 20:19:05 Author TYC 從港鐵大埔墟站一號月台向宏福苑拍攝火警情況，左邊為廣福邨（圖片於香港時間2025年11月26日20時19分05秒拍攝） CC BY-SA 4.0 By TYC - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=178998824](/sites/default/files/inline-images/1117px-20251126_201905_TaiPoApartmentFire_%28cropped%29_0.jpg)
The fire is said to have started in one of the high‑rise buildings and then spread through bamboo scaffolding around the structures.
According to AP, the high‑rises are home to about 5,000 people.
According to Wikipedia and several other sources, this high-rise fire was classified as a 5 alarm fire, which according to several reports the highest level in Hong Kong.
It is reportedly only the second such level alarm since the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, and the first since the 2008 Cornwall Court fire.
Cover Photo above: Wikipedia Creative Commons Lice \
Photo Below:
The Wang Fuk Court in 2009
By WiNG - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6729087
Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c2emg1kj1klt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Tai_Po_apartment_fire