What we know about the Hong Kong apartment fires

A devastating fire has destroyed scores of high-rises in Hong Kong, killing at least 44 people and making Hong Kong the deadliest city in more than 60 years. More than 270 people have been reported missing and thousands of residents are in evacuation shelters.

Images taken from the scene show that many buildings are still in flames and dense smoke dominates the skyline of Chinese territory.

According to local media reports, three people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire and an investigation was launched.

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

It’s still unclear what caused the fire, but here’s what we know so far.

The fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a large residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT) on Wednesday.

Wang Fuk Court consists of eight tower blocks, each with 31 floors. Tai Po district councilor Mui Siu-fung told BBC Chinese that seven people were affected by the fire. The tower blocks, built in 1983, were undergoing renovation work when the fire broke out.

Tai Po is a residential district in the northern part of Hong Kong, near the city of Shenzhen on mainland China.

The complex provides 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 people, according to the 2021 government census.

About 40% of the 4,600 people living in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex are at least 65 years old or older, according to the census.

Some have been living in subsidized public housing since it was built.

Hong Kong’s security secretary said early Thursday morning that the cause of the fire was unknown but a preliminary investigation revealed the speed at which the fire spread was unusual.

Police said mesh material and plastic sheets were found on the exterior of the buildings, neither of which are believed to be fireproof.

Police said there was also styrofoam in the windows of the building, which, along with other construction materials, likely caused the flames to spread very quickly.

Police arrested three men, aged between 52 and 68, on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fatal fire; Two of them were managers of a construction company and the other was an engineering consultant.

A police spokesman said investigators were looking into the alleged actions or inactions of senior officials at the firm.

“We have reason to believe that those responsible at the company committed gross negligence that led to this accident, causing the fire to spread uncontrollably and causing huge losses,” the spokesman said.

Local media reports report that some residents said the fire alarms in the building did not go off.

It is the deadliest fire in Hong Kong in at least 63 years and has been classified as a level five alert, the highest severity.

A level four was declared 40 minutes after it was first reported, but the level was raised again approximately three and a half hours later at 18:22.

Local media had previously reported that explosions could be heard inside the building and that fire hoses could not easily reach the upper floors.

Deputy fire chief Derek Armstrong Chan told the media that the intensity of the heat prevented firefighters from entering buildings to conduct rescue operations.

In addition, 767 firefighters, 128 fire trucks, 57 ambulances and approximately 400 police officers were also deployed.

Among the dead was 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who had been working at Sha Tin Fire Station for nine years.

The fire department said that contact with him was lost at 15.30 and that they discovered that he had collapsed about half an hour later. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of this dedicated and brave firefighter,” said fire chief Andy Yeung.

The Hong Kong fire service said at least one other firefighter was in hospital.

According to local media reports, police officers are using loudspeakers to help residents call family members.

Many emergency shelters have been established The government said they would house evacuated residents. South China Morning Post reported that one of the shelters at Tung Cheong Street Sports Center was full and residents were directed to other shelters.

Kwong Fuk Community Hall, right across from the public housing, was considered unsafe. Evacuees were moved to another shelter further away.

BBC China correspondent Gemini Cheng saw elderly residents arriving at some shelters, some using canes or wheelchairs.

According to the information Agence France-Presse quoted from Lee, at least 900 people are taking shelter in such temporary facilities.

The Education Bureau announced that six schools in Tai Po will remain closed on Thursday: lists affected schools on its website.

An emergency monitoring and support center is in operation to manage the impact of the fire, security secretary Tang Ping-keung said in a statement.

Hong Kong police have set up a hotline where the public can ask questions about the missing.

The tower blocks at Wang Fuk Court are covered with bamboo scaffolding and green construction netting up to their roofs due to renovations.

As previously mentioned, police attributed the rapid spread of the fire to the materials used in the renovation, such as mesh netting, plastic sheeting and styrofoam.

Jason Poon, president of construction NGO China Monitor, told news outlet Initium Media that it was still unclear what caused the fire, but whatever the cause of the fire, proper netting on the exterior of buildings could be key to preventing the spread of fire, adding that substandard netting could cause fire to spread quickly.

Another engineer told Initium Media that he believes the vast majority of netting used in construction across Hong Kong is not made of fire-retardant material.

The engineer said the scaffolding often contained cardboard, rubble and paint thinner, which, along with dry weather, could accelerate the spread of fire.

A fire safety expert previously interviewed by the BBC said bamboo scaffolding, a common part of the city’s urban landscape, also played a role in fanning the flames.

Local media reported in March that the government’s development bureau was trying to phase out the use of bamboo due to safety concerns.

The push to use metal instead of bamboo comes after scaffolding-related deaths in Hong Kong.

Professor Jiang Liming of Hong Kong Polytechnic University also noted that the blocks in Wang Fuk Court are “relatively old”, meaning they were built in the 1980s, so “the glass windows are not that fire resistant”.

“Modern buildings have double-glazed windows, but this time perhaps they used single glazing… [which makes it] “It is very easy to be broken by the flames, and the flames can then penetrate the facade.”

Additional reporting by Jack Lau from BBC Global China and Gemini Cheng from BBC Chinese in Hong Kong.