HONG KONG HORROR: 55 Dead, 279 Missing as Wang Fuk Court Inferno Becomes City’s Deadliest Fire in 80 Years

Tai Po, Hong Kong – 14:22 HKT, November 27, 2025

Official death toll: 55 Confirmed missing: 279 Injured: 112 (21 critical) Buildings fully destroyed: 4 of 8 towers Estimated damage: HK$4.8 billion

Live Updates – Last 60 Minutes

• 13:57 HKT – Fire Services confirm last body recovered from 28th floor of Wang Cheong House
• 14:03 HKT – Police arrest three more suspects (total now 6) from the scaffolding contractor
• 14:11 HKT – Indonesian Consulate confirms 7 domestic workers among dead, 34 still missing
• 14:18 HKT – Chief Executive John Lee declares three days of mourning starting tomorrow

How the Fire Spread – 60-Second Timeline

• 14:52 Wednesday – Spark ignites bamboo scaffolding on 12th floor
• 14:58 – Green plastic mesh + Styrofoam insulation catches instantly
• 15:04 – Flames jump to 22nd floor via external cladding
• 15:12 – Entire façade of Wang Cheong House fully alight
• 15:25 – Fire spreads horizontally to three adjacent blocks via falling debris
• 16:10 – Level 5 alarm declared (highest possible)
• 02:17 Thursday – Blaze finally “under control” after 11+ hours

The Scaffolding Scandal – What We Know Right Now

• Material used: bamboo poles + flammable green mesh (banned on public projects since March 2025)
• Contractor: China State Construction Engineering (sub-contractor)
• Insulation: non-fire-rated Styrofoam panels installed on windows
• Safety certificate: allegedly forged, according to arrested site manager

Eyewitness Footage That’s Breaking Hearts

• Video from 18th floor resident (posted 15:07): entire corridor filled with black smoke, children screaming
• Drone footage at 15:30: people waving white towels from 30th-floor windows as flames lick below
• Viral clip of elderly man on 25th floor throwing mattress out window in failed escape attempt

Government Response (Live Press Conference – Ongoing)

John Lee (voice cracking): “This is the darkest day in Hong Kong’s post-war history. Every single regulation will be reviewed. Heads will roll.”

Compensation Package Announced

• HK$2 million per deceased
• HK$800,000 per critically injured
• Full rent waiver + temporary hotel housing for all 3,200 affected residents

X Trends – Hong Kong (Right Now)

1. #大埔大火 (Tai Po Fire) – 2.1 M posts
2. #竹棚火 (Bamboo Scaffold Fire) – 987k
3. “Styrofoam windows” – 412k
4. #JohnLeeResign – 298k

Bottom Line

Hong Kong woke up to blue skies and black smoke. 55 families will never see their loved ones again. 279 names are still on the missing list. And the city just discovered that the very scaffolding holding up its skyline can turn a spark into an apocalypse in under 15 minutes.

The fire is out. The reckoning has only just begun.

Date: 27th Nov, 2025

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