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In Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, hundreds of homes, lives lost: What next for survivors?
The massive blaze, which swept through the high-rise complex in Tai Po on Wednesday, killed over 120 people and left the city in shock
When the last pockets of fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po, a suburban district in Hong Kong, were finally extinguished on Friday morning, the smoke cleared to reveal a new crisis. Thousands of residents are suddenly without homes, documents, savings, or any sense of how their lives will function in the days ahead.
The blaze destroyed entire floors, erased possessions accumulated over decades, and pushed families into shelters and hotel rooms.
Survivors from young parents to elderly couples are now confronting a future as uncertain as the blackened towers behind them.
For many, the moment everything changed came without warning.
The massive blaze, which swept through the high-rise complex in Tai Po on Wednesday, killed 128 people and left the city in shock.
As the fire spread, hundreds of residents were evacuated from the nearly 2,000-unit complex, home to roughly 4,800 people, many of them elderly.
It was just after 3 pm when William Li received an unexpected call from his wife, who’d heard from a friend that their building was on fire.
There were no alarms, no smoke inside his second-floor apartment — nothing to suggest the disaster unfolding around him. Minutes later, when he opened his door and met a wall of thick, black smoke, survival became his only focus, said a report by news agency AP.
Winds pushed the blaze from tower to tower, overwhelming seven of the estate’s eight high-rises.
How the fire spread and who is accountable now shapes what recovery might look like.
Also Read | Hong Kong high-rise, where blaze killed 128 people, had faulty fire alarms
Who is responsible for Hong Kong fire?
Investigators are examining whether the scaffolding materials met safety standards, why foam panels covered windows, and why fire alarms failed to sound, the AP report added.
Police have already arrested three construction company directors and an engineering consultant. Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency has detained eight others, including scaffolding subcontractors and project managers.
Wang Fuk Court sits in Tai Po, a planned “new town” built in the late 1970s. Home to roughly 300,000 people across income groups, the district is now watching and waiting as authorities probe the failures that allowed the blaze to spread so rapidly.
'I did not believe it' at first': Residents in Hong Kong
Li grew up in the estate. Others, like 70-year-old cleaner Ding Chan, moved in during the 1980s, drawn to its quieter, suburban feel. Chan had left for work just 30 minutes before the fire, only to receive panicked calls.
“I did not believe it at first,” she said. When she reached the estate minutes later, flames were already leaping across towers toward her block.
“I had never seen such a massive fire in my entire lifetime,” she said.
Neither Chan nor her husband, electrician IN Kong, were home, but their unit paid off over more than a decade is likely gone.
They have been placed in a hotel for now, but their long-term reality is uncertain.
“I haven’t slept for two nights,” she said. “Where am I going to stay?”
What's next for the residents?
Emergency aid has begun, and donations continue to arrive, but long-term support is still unclear.
Li later shared his experience online, hoping the community could “heal and rebuild together.” His post spread quickly.
When smoke surged into his corridor, Li retreated, sealing the door and calling police. Explosions sounded outside; flames lit his window. He thought about jumping, then stayed put.
“Everyone told me to wait,” he said. He stepped into the hallway once, found two neighbours trying to flee, and pulled them inside.
Rescued but uncertain
Around 5 pm, firefighters reached his window by ladder. Li helped his elderly neighbours out first.
As he climbed down, debris fell and firefighters sprayed him with water.
“The cold water drenched my whole body… but I felt very lucky.”
Residents on higher floors waited far longer.
Two hours after his rescue, he reunited with his family. “My wife cried until her tears were completely dry…”
“Daddy didn’t die,” his daughter said. His son sat quietly, tears falling.
Now, like Chan and thousands of others, Li is focused on immediate uncertainties — where to live, what support will come, and how long it will take for stability to return.
“No matter how many supplies are given, they are of little use — we can only carry what our two hands can hold,” he said. “Still, I am very grateful… people are constantly helping, donating generously.”
