Police have arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire, according to public broadcaster RTHK, though no further details were provided.
Firefighters worked through the night, struggling to reach the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which contains 2,000 apartments across eight blocks, due to intense heat.
A 71-year-old resident, surnamed Wong, broke down in tears, saying his wife remained trapped inside.
Among the 36 confirmed dead was a firefighter, while 29 people remain hospitalized, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told reporters.
Approximately 900 people have been accommodated in eight emergency shelters.
Lee emphasized the priorities for authorities: “The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped.
The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we’ll launch a thorough investigation.”
Resident Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two of the complex for over 40 years, described the moment he saw the fire erupt around 2:45 p.m. (0645 GMT). “I immediately went back to pack up my things. I don’t even know how I feel right now. I’m just thinking about where I’m going to sleep tonight,” he said.
CHINA’S XI URGES ‘ALL-OUT’ EFFORT AGAINST FIRE
Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development.
From the mainland, China’s President Xi Jinping urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.
The fire department said that by late night the flames in three buildings were under control but remained untamed in four.
Hong Kong’s Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po Road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways, had been closed and buses were being diverted.
At least six schools will be closed on Thursday due to the fire and traffic congestion, the city’s Education Bureau said.
It was Hong Kong’s worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the Kowloon district in November 1996. That fire was caused by welding during internal renovations.
A public inquiry yielded sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in high-rise offices, shops and homes.
BAMBOO SCAFFOLDING BEING PHASED OUT
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
On mainland China, where use of bamboo in construction originated from ancient times, scaffolding is now mainly metal.
Hong Kong’s government moved to start phasing out bamboo scaffolding in March, citing worker safety after 22 deaths involving bamboo scaffolders between 2019 and 2024.
It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
Though fire hazard was not cited as a reason for the phase-out, there have been at least three fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year, according to The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims in Hong Kong.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with some 300,000 residents.
Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites.
According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
Owning a home is a distant dream for many in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets and where residential rents are hovering around record highs.
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