What we covered here
• Dozens killed, hundreds missing: Rescuers are searching for hundreds of missing people after a fire raced through several high-rise buildings in a Hong Kong apartment complex, killing at least 44 people.
• Still burning: Some of the buildings in the complex, home to a large population of elderly residents, are still ablaze in what appears to be the city’s most deadly fire since World War II.
• Arrests made: Three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the fire. Police accused the three of “gross negligence.”
Our live coverage of the Hong Kong fire has moved here.
Annual Hong Kong fire-death numbers are low, but have been increasing
The devastating inferno that rapidly spread across multiple high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex has been described by many officials in the city as an unusual occurrence.
Questions are mounting about how the fire in a skyscraper-filled city with a usually strong public safety record and construction standards could become so deadly.
Fires are not unusual in the densely populated city of 7.5 million people, but the number of fatalities has remained low, especially when compared with fire deaths in the similarly sized high-rise city of New York.
But data shows that the average number of fatalities by fire in Hong Kong has risen over the past decade.
Data from the Hong Kong Fire Services Department shows 33 people were killed in fire incidents in 2024 – citing accidents from cooking, handling cigarette ends, matches and candles, and electrical faults as major causes.
In 2023, 31 people were killed in fire incidents in the city, a figure which at the time was the highest in 22 years, according to the research office of the Legislative Council Secretariat.
That’s up from 2013, when just 12 people were killed in fire incidents.
In New York City, which has an estimated population of 8.4 million, 78 people were killed in fires in 2024, with 104 deaths in 2023, according to data from the New York City fire department.
Chinese leader allocates $280k to Red Cross rescue efforts in Hong Kong
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has designated 2 million yuan ($282,470) to Red Cross emergency assistance as the search for missing people continues in the ongoing Hong Kong apartment blaze.
Xi has expressed his condolences to the victims of the disaster and urged “all-out efforts” from representatives of China’s Central Committee and the Hong Kong Liaison Office to do “everything possible” to assist efforts in minimizing casualties and losses from the fire.
For context: Hong Kong, a densely populated international commerce hub, is a semi-autonomous part of China and run by its own government that answers to leaders in Beijing.
Criminal probe into Hong Kong fire launched, with scrutiny on construction materials
The devastating Hong Kong high-rise fire spread in an “unusual” manner, and a criminal investigation has been launched, Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang said Thursday, according to public broadcaster RTHK.
Three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the deadly blaze — two directors and a consultant of a construction company.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and key questions for authorities remain.
They include why tower blocks were not evacuated more quickly once the fire began to spread from the first building, and whether flammable material, including polystyrene boards blocking windows of multiple apartments, may have contributed to the inferno.
Police found the construction company name on polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows at the apartment complex. Officials said they suspect other construction materials found at the apartments — including protective nets, canvas, and plastic covers — failed to meet safety standards.
The city’s housing authorities will be looking into whether protective layers used to cover the residential buildings during refurbishment were sufficiently fireproof, according to Hong Kong leader John Lee.
Bamboo scaffolding used to encase buildings in Hong Kong that have been cited as a possible cause of fires in the past may also be a factor in Wednesday’s blaze.
Body bags seen loaded into vehicles at site of fire
Bodies were seen being loaded onto waiting vehicles near Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court on Thursday morning as firefighters continued their battle to extinguish the remaining flames at the smoldering residential estate.
Video from Reuters news agency shows responders loading a body in a black bag onto a stretcher and into an ambulance.
At least 44 people have been confirmed dead and 279 are unaccounted for. At least 66 people have been admitted into hospital as of 8 a.m., Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority told CNN, with 17 in critical condition and 24 in serious condition.
Residents previously told CNN they feared the death toll would rise and firefighters had struggled to reach people trapped on the upper floors of the buildings.
Chinese businesses donate $6.4 million to fire relief
Chinese tech giants Xiaomi and Tencent, as well as apparel conglomerate Anta announced donations totaling $6.4 million to Hong Kong in support of relief work after the deadly fire.
Xiaomi said in a statement that its donation of 10 million Hong Kong dollars ($1.3 million) will be used for rescue work, including medical aid, emergency settlement, and transitional living assistance for affected residents.
“May the departed rest in peace, the injured recover fully, and may the affected compatriots overcome this difficulty soon,” said Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO, in a social media post announcing the donation.
Tencent said in a statement that it has initiated the first batch of donations of the same amount, for similar purposes like settlement and essential supplies, as well as psychological counseling for the affected residents.
The donation by Anta, totaling $30 million Hong Kong dollars ($3.9 million), includes HK$10 million in cash and HK$20 million in cold-weather gear for the emergency settlement and essential basic living needs for those affected by the disaster, the corporation said in a statement.
“Anta Group will continue to monitor the disaster’s progress and assist the affected compatriots in overcoming the difficulties as soon as possible,” it said.
One of Hong Kong's deadliest fires is still burning. Here’s what we know
A deadly inferno has torn through a massive housing complex in Hong Kong, killing at least 44 people with more than 270 others still missing, in what is likely the most deadly blaze in Hong Kong since World War II.
Firefighters are still trying to get parts of the fire under control more than 20 hours after it broke out.
Questions are mounting about how the fire in a skyscraper-filled city with a usually strong public safety record and construction standards could become so deadly, leaping from building to building.
Here’s what we know:
What is happening: A fire spread across seven towers at Wang Fuk Court, a public housing estate in the Tai Po District that was home to more than 4,000 people. Firefighters are still working to extinguish at least three towers at the complex, which was home to a disproportionately high percentage of elderly residents.
The complex was under renovation and encased in bamboo scaffolding and safety netting – a construction technique ubiquitous in Hong Kong.
Critical injuries: At least 66 people have been admitted to hospital as of 8 a.m. local time, with 17 in critical condition and 24 in serious condition.
Residents displaced: Hundreds of residents are now likely homeless in a city with an acute shortage of housing. Some residents would have waited years for a home in the public estate. About 900 people are in temporary shelters.
Many trapped: Last night, firefighters trying to reach people trapped on upper floors of the burning buildings faced extremely high temperatures and falling debris, hindering rescues, according to the fire department. Last night, fire officials urged those trapped to seal doors and windows with tape and wet napkins.
What leaders are saying: Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to the fire victims, while Hong Kong leader John Lee called the deadly incident “a major disaster.”
The investigation: Hong Kong Police said they arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter and accused them of “gross negligence.” The men work for a construction company. Hong Kong’s leader said police set up a task force to investigate the cause, and that housing authorities will investigate whether building materials complied with fire safety standards.
Historic disaster: The blaze was declared a level five fire, the highest rating used in one of the world’s most densely populated cities, with the highest concentrations of skyscrapers. But Hong Kong has retained a strong track record on building safety, thanks to its high-quality construction and strict enforcement of building regulations.
CNN’s Chris Lau, Jessie Yeung, Kevin Wang, Karina Tsui, Jadyn Beverley Sham and Jerome Taylor contributed reporting.
Campaigning for legislative polls suspended to focus on fire response
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said campaigning activities ahead of the city’s upcoming legislative elections have been suspended as the government focuses on responding to the deadly high-rise fire.
“We have suspended promotional activities for the Legco (Legislative Council) elections, as well as forums,” Lee told reporters Thursday, according to public broadcaster RTHK.
The poll elects all 90 members of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, the city’s parliament. It is the second legislative election since an overhaul of the electoral system in 2021 that ensured only “patriots” loyal to Beijing can hold office, following mass protests in 2019.
Lee indicated that he has not ruled out delaying the polls, scheduled to be held on December 7.
“We’ll decide what to do in a few days after coordinating our work,” he said.
Hong Kong fire dominates social media chat in mainland China
In mainland China, posts about the Hong Kong fire had more than one billion views on X-like Weibo, with some users expressing heartbreak, and others questioning why the disaster occurred.
“Oh my, seeing the death toll really makes me want to cry,” one person wrote on Thursday morning in a post that gained 2,000 likes.
Another post, with 400 likes, read: “It’s so heartbreaking to hear about the Hong Kong fire that has already claimed 44 lives and left over 200 people missing. I really hope they get it under control soon and that the numbers don’t keep going up.”
Social media in China is strictly monitored by the ruling Communist Party, with posts deemed sensitive quickly taken down.
Taiwan president sends condolences to Hong Kong
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te sent condolences to Hong Kong over Wednesday’s massive fire.
“I extend my deepest condolences to all the Hong Kong friends who perished in the disaster and their families, and offer my sincere wishes for comfort to the injured,” he said, adding that he hopes that the missing can be found safely soon.
“Huge concern” that buildings may collapse, US former fire chief says
A US-based former fire chief said the structure of the buildings affected by the Hong Kong high-rise blaze is a “huge concern.”
“This fire has been intense. It’s been attacking the structure itself. And while it’s a concrete, reinforced structure, it can only withstand so much heat and so much of this is happening over time,” Dave Downey, a former chief of Florida Fire and Rescue for Miami-Dade county, told CNN’s Max Foster.
Conditions inside the buildings as they were burning would have been like “an oven,” that got hotter the higher up the structure, he said. Residents trapped inside had been told to close all doors and windows and seal them with tape and wet napkins.
“Between the heat and the smoke, it would be unsafe to try to travel anywhere within that building,” said Downey.
Downey likened the disaster to London’s Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 and Dubai’s hotel fire on New Year’s Eve, 2015, where fire traveled rapidly up the exterior of the buildings.
“A combustible exterior on the building, that lends itself to allow the fire to spread very, very rapidly. And if there’s any opening at all, a window opening or a window fails, it allows that fire then to get into the building.”
"This has rarely ever happened in Hong Kong history," says local resident lending a hand
Early Thursday, a resident of the nearby neighborhood of Fanling was handing out bottles of water and tea to firefighters.
“All these supplies have been donated by the Tai Po community and I’m here to help distribute them,” said Mr. Ho, adding that the inferno-afflicted complex is in something of a desert zone with barely any shops around.
The 45-year-old has been in the area since 4 p.m. Wednesday, and called what he saw “horrific” and unfathomable.
“I don’t see that they have a lot of resources so we’re doing what we can to help,” he said.
Local resident fears death toll will rise
As firefighters doused the remaining flames at Wang Fuk Court Thursday morning, Mr. Ho, a 65-year old resident, watched from behind police tape and contemplated his next steps.
A resident of Block 1, in the complex’s easternmost corner, Ho counts himself lucky that his building faced relatively little damage.
“I heard a fire alarm in my building at around 3 p.m. and when I looked outside I saw Block 6 on fire,” he said, adding that he immediately left his apartment on the 11th floor, taking nothing with him. Ho said that, after half an hour, Blocks 5 and 7 caught fire, then Block 4 and eventually Block 1.
He hasn’t been able to go back to his apartment yet, but fears it’s been completely ruined. On Thursday morning, stood wrapped in a microfiber towel given to him by a nearby shelter, he looked up at his apartment and expressed pessimism over the eventual death toll.
Bamboo scaffolding is ubiquitous in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong housing complex engulfed in flames was encased in bamboo scaffolding – an ancient construction technique that dates back to the Han dynasty and is still widely used in the city.
These scaffolds are erected on buildings hundreds of feet high and wrapped in fabric safety nets forming colorful cocoons of green, blue and purple.
Bamboo is not only used in the construction of new buildings, but also in the renovation of thousands of historic tenements (“tong lau”) every year –making it an essential construction material in Hong Kong.
But the technique has been facing mounting scrutiny for its safety and durability. While bamboo is celebrated for its flexibility, it is also combustible and prone to deterioration over time.
Hong Kong’s Development Bureau recently announced that 50% of new public building projects erected from March onwards would need to use metal scaffolding to “better protect workers” and align with modern construction standards in “advanced cities.”
That statement drew backlash from residents, many of whom noted that bamboo scaffolding is a cultural heritage that needs to be maintained.
“We need to find ways to overcome it,” Goman Ho, a structural engineer at British engineering firm Arup, told CNN, suggesting that poles could be coated with epoxy or plastic solution to prevent erosion.
It's morning in Hong Kong. Firefighters are still battling isolated flames
It’s now morning in Hong Kong, and the smell and taste of smoke from the deadly Wang Fuk Court fires are palpable across Hong Kong’s Tai Po district — just miles from the city’s border with mainland China.
While it’s back to work and school for many in the area, firefighters at the estate are still working to extinguish isolated flames in a handful of units as fumes continue to billow from at least three buildings.
All structures have sustained significant damage. Windows and air conditioning units have disintegrated and most of the bamboo scaffolding that once encased the complex has burnt.
At least 66 people have been admitted into hospital as of 8 a.m., Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority told CNN, with 17 in critical condition and 24 in serious condition. At least 44 people have been confirmed dead and 279 are unaccounted for.
At least 279 people still missing after Hong Kong fire
At least 279 people remain unaccounted for more than 16 hours after a massive fire engulfed an apartment complex in Hong Kong, police and hospital authorities told CNN Thursday morning local time.
Earlier, authorities said the blaze had killed at least 44 people.
After 16 hours, Hong Kong apartment complex is still ablaze
The fire at an apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district has now been burning for around 16 hours – and firefighters are still battling to bring it under control.
Firefighters are now concentrating their efforts on three of the seven blocks affected, while the blaze has been brought “under control” at the other four, according to the fire department.
Fire in Tai Po thought to be deadliest in Hong Kong since World War II
With at least 44 dead, the fire at an apartment complex in the Tai Po neighborhood is likely the most deadly in Hong Kong since World War II.
Previously, the 1996 Garley building fire, which killed 41 people, was widely described as the worst peacetime fire in Hong Kong history.
Death toll from Hong Kong apartment complex fire rises to at least 44
The death toll from the fire at an apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po neighborhood has risen to at least 44, according to local officials.
Forty people died at the scene of the fire, while the other four died in hospital, officials said.
Police accuse three men arrested in relation to Hong Kong fire of "gross negligence"
The three men arrested in relation to the fire at an apartment complex in Hong Kong are two directors and a consultant of a construction company, officials said at a press conference early Thursday morning local time. Police are accusing the men of “gross negligence.”
Police found the construction company name on inflammable polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows at the apartment complex. Officials added that they suspect other construction materials found at the apartments - including protective nets, canvas, and plastic covers - failed to meet safety standards.
