The death toll from the fire disaster that broke out on the afternoon of the 26th at the high-rise apartment complex Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district rose to 83 by the early morning of the 28th.
As of 3 a.m. on the 28th, the second day after the fire, with the number of missing still in the hundreds, police arrested officials of the construction firm identified as having fueled the blaze. Hong Kong society is moving beyond grief to anger at the possibility the fire was a man-made disaster.
According to local media including Hong Kong Ming Pao and the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 28th, the Hong Kong fire authorities said in an early-morning briefing that "the total number of confirmed deaths, including bodies recovered at the scene and those who died in hospitals, stands at 83." The number of victims rose sharply overnight from 65 counted by the afternoon of the previous day. The injured exceeded 70. Of these, 17 were reported to be in critical condition, so it cannot be ruled out that the death toll will rise.
Most of the missing, estimated to be in the hundreds, still have not had their status confirmed. Chief Executive John Lee said in the early stage of the fire on the afternoon of the 26th that contact had been lost with 279 people. However, the authorities have not been able to officially disclose the number of missing for 24 hours since. Deputy Director of Fire Services Derek Chan said, "The firefighting work to prevent embers and flare-ups is nearing the final stage," adding, "we will soon proceed with a full-fledged search for the missing and rescue of survivors."
Hong Kong police, who have begun to determine the cause of the disaster, found indications that the contractor committed gross negligence and launched a compulsory investigation. Police arrested three people, including two directors of Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., which handled the building's renovation, and one engineering consultant, on charges of manslaughter by negligence.
Police suspected they used materials below safety standards during construction, which fueled the fire. In particular, plastic foam panels installed to protect the building's exterior windows were raised as possibly having intensified the flames. Senior Superintendent Irene Cheung of the Hong Kong police said, "We suspect the material failed to meet fire-resistance standards, causing the flames to spread abnormally fast," adding, "there are reasonable grounds to believe the contractor's responsible officials committed gross negligence."
According to the SCMP, Prestige Construction has a record of being fined twice in 2023 for safety violations at a worksite in the Mid-Levels area. Despite this record, it took on the Tai Po project. Reuters reported that, for this reason, criticism has emerged in Hong Kong that the fire was a forewarned disaster born of safety complacency.
A detailed analysis of the fire's spread path also emerged. Local experts and authorities said the fire started around 2:51 p.m. on the bamboo scaffolding outside Wang Cheung House within the complex. The flames then rode strong winds to adjacent Wang Tai House and Wang Sing House, and within just over four hours, seven buildings in the complex were engulfed.
Chief Executive John Lee announced that to manage the aftermath he would create an emergency relief fund of 300 million Hong Kong dollars (about 54 billion won).