Yimo Xie

Hundreds of people mourn the victims of the Tai Po fire at a makeshift shrine at a sitting out area near Wang Fuk Court. As of Dec. 3, 159 people have been found dead, about 30 people are still missing and 19 bodies remain unidentified.

One of the deadliest residential fires in Hong Kong’s history swept through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong on Nov. 26 and 27. As of Dec. 3, 159 people have been found dead, about 30 people are still missing and 19 bodies remain unidentified.

The blaze began on Nov. 26 and burned through seven of the complex’s eight towers, displacing thousands of residents. Because the complex was undergoing a major renovation, bamboo scaffolding surrounded the building, and plastic construction netting and foam panels covering windows fueled the fire’s spread throughout the complex.

Harker parent Vivian Lum, who grew up in Hong Kong and still has close family members living in the city, said that flammable construction materials are common across the city.  

“When I heard about the potential hazard caused by the bamboo scaffolding, the styrofoam used to protect the windows and nets that were covering the building, I was like, ‘Oh my God, isn’t that what every other building is doing?’” Lum said. “I am concerned because it seems as though the whole construction and real estate system is not very well regulated. It’s up to the bidders and the building owners what they want to do and what material they use. Even if the government has some regulations, they are not there to actually enforce them.”

In the days following the fires, hundreds of volunteers, including nurses and social workers, arrived to deliver water, food and essential supplies. Community members offered help to the thousands displaced before government assistance reached the area.

Max Lai, a student at Renaissance College, an international school in Hong Kong, donated resources and time to help victims. He reflected on his feelings toward the disaster.

“I live in Tai Po, and witnessing the fire with my own eyes every single day and night really hit my heart,” Max said. “I told my friends to come with me today, and we all showed up to donate resources and move them around. Being a residential building, this fire affected thousands of people, which means that we need to give our support to them to help them out.”

Relative of a Harker student Diana Wei, who lived in Hong Kong for 15 years, said the city’s housing conditions and aging infrastructure heightened the danger. 

“I initially didn’t realize how severe fires could be,” Wei said. “But thinking about Hong Kong’s living conditions, there are so many areas that have similarly high building density and lack adequate maintenance. There were no fire alarms sounding at the beginning of the fire, so many people didn’t realize there’s a severe fire and lost the precious chance to escape.”

Authorities have arrested 15 people in connection with the incident, including building directors accused of negligence and corruption-related offenses. Investigators are examining whether the scaffolding netting met safety standards, why foam boards had been installed over the windows and whether falsified safety reports contributed to unsafe conditions. 

“There’s a lot of speculation around what could have prevented the fire,” Lum said. “For example, better regulation of construction bidding, safety validation of these projects and also ongoing maintenance of the buildings themselves. These are all regulated by different departments of the government, and we don’t know whether they did not do their job, or whether something else was responsible [for the safety failure]. There probably needs to be a huge investigation to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, because there are so many parties involved.”

Government officials have pledged to conduct a full investigation into building practices and to determine whether systemic failures contributed to the disaster. Authorities are also assessing how to support the families displaced by the fire. However, Wei believes broader policy changes will be necessary to prevent future tragedies. 

“Some of the people doing the refurbishment played tricks to fool the government inspectors about whether the materials met requirements,” Wei said. “But on the other hand, I think the government themselves have some responsibility to check more thoroughly. What we care about right now is determining exactly why the fire became so severe, how many families have been affected and how the government will help them to rebuild their homes. But afterwards, the bigger issue is how to prevent similar things from happening again.” 

The range of failures has raised questions about fire safety standards across Hong Kong, where most people live in high-rises built decades ago. Many residents worry that the safety hazards at Wang Fuk Court exist elsewhere. Lum said the emotional impact of the blaze extended far beyond Tai Po. 

“Many people in Hong Kong feel as though their home is being burned because Tai Po is very connected to the rest of Hong Kong,” Lum said. “A lot of my friends and family could have gone to Tai Po on any given day. Hearing about so many deaths in a place you’re so familiar with definitely has a major emotional impact. It’s not just the people that have a relative or a friend who live there, but pretty much everybody in Hong Kong.” 

A Hong Kong resident and post-fire volunteer who identified himself as Anderson said civilian-led action was the most effective way to help.

“Everyone is sending a lot of water,” Anderson said. “Some government officials said they can help the residents, but I don’t think so. That’s why what we are doing here is important. We can directly send out the water to the people who really need our help.”

Residents reported alarms inside the buildings failed to activate, leaving many unaware that the fire had already engulfed multiple stories. Some workers allegedly shut off alarms during maintenance, and authorities are now investigating whether malfunctioning systems contributed to the high death toll. 

Despite the devastation, Wei said the volunteer response reflects Hong Kong’s long-standing culture of mutual support. Donations ranging from clothing to medical supplies arrived quickly, and blood donor centers also received many donations following the fire.  

“Hong Kong’s community is always warm, and people help each other and that’s a good tradition,” Wei said. “A huge amount of money has already been raised, and in the first few days people rushed to donate blood for those injured. I believe the whole community will continue supporting those affected and also think about how to avoid such tragedies in the future. I have confidence that Hong Kong people will react positively and make life better going forward.”

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.