Around 280 missing after Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades

HONG KONG – The death toll from a massive fire in a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong has risen to 75, with about 70 people injured and around 280 still unaccounted for more than a day later, the local authorities said on Nov 27.

The fire was reportedly the deadliest in Hong Kong since its 1997 handover to Chinese rule. A firefighter was among the dead, according to the local fire services department.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee claimed on the evening of Nov 27 that the fire in all seven towers had been “basically put under control”, even though flames were apparently visible on site.

In his press briefing, Lee said the government will hand out HK$10,000 (S$1,700) to each affected household, adding: “No matter how complex the environment is, firefighters’ rescue efforts will not stop.”

The city leader said the authorities will earmark HK$300 million for disaster relief, while all celebratory activities on schedule would either be cancelled or postponed. Government officials will avoid participation in “unnecessary” public events, he added.

The authorities have begun investigating what sparked the disastrous blaze – the financial hub’s worst in nearly 80 years – including the presence of bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the structures as part of an estate-wide renovation.

Hong Kong’s anti-corruption body said it has launched a probe into renovation work at a housing complex, hours after the police said they had arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site.

The intense flames in four of the eight apartment blocks were finally extinguished and the fires in three others were brought under control, officials said on the afternoon of Nov 27. One building was not affected.

Multiple residents of Wang Fuk Court, located in Hong Kong’s northern district of Tai Po, told AFP that they did not hear any fire alarm and had to go door to door to alert neighbours to the danger.

“The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,” said a man surnamed Suen.

“Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbours, telling them to leave – that’s what the situation was like,” he added.

Crowds moved by the tragedy gathered near the complex to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort in a city that has some of the world’s most densely populated and tallest residential blocks.

“It’s truly touching. The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support... It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love,” said 38-year-old Stone Ngai, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station.

But the toll continues to increase, and fire service officials told reporters that 51 victims lost their lives at the scene, while others died in hospital.

The Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major works following the disaster, the city’s leader John Lee said.

Dozens in hospital

Another displaced resident was Mr Wong Sik Kam, whose son was one of the firefighters dispatched to the scene.

“My son called me and told me about the fire... I thought it was just a normal fire, like a kitchen accident that would be put out. Who knew it would get so bad?” Mr Wong said.

Among the dead was a 37-year-old firefighter, who was found with burns on his face half an hour after losing contact with colleagues, according to fire service director Andy Yeung.

A government spokesman told AFP that 61 people were being treated in hospital. Fifteen were in critical condition, 27 in a serious condition, and 19 were stable.

City leader Lee said more than 900 people sought refuge at temporary shelters overnight.

The Indonesian consulate said around noon that two of the dead were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers.

‘Unable to reach people’

On the night of Nov 26, sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning blocks, and flames could be seen inside apartments, sometimes belching out through windows into the night sky, casting an eerie orange glow on surrounding buildings.

“The temperature at the scene is very high and there are some floors where we have been unable to reach people who requested help, but we will keep trying,” said Mr Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of fire service operations.

He said the wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another, although he added that the authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed condolences to the victims, including “the firefighter who died in the line of duty”, according to state media.

Mr Lee said he was “deeply saddened” and that all government departments were assisting residents affected by the fire.

On the afternoon of Nov 27, some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes.

Volunteers distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall, while a few people gave out fliers with information about missing people.

Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighbourhoods.

However, safety measures have been ramped up in recent decades and such fires have become much less commonplace. AFP, KYODO NEWS