Death toll rises to 13, with 15 injured in Hong Kong's high-rise fire

Hong Kong, November 26 (ANI): The death toll in the deadly fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po district has risen to 13, with 15 others injured after the massive fire swept through multiple high-rise residential towers in the area on Wednesday, CNN reported, citing local authorities. Officials say more people may still be trapped inside the buildings.

According to CNN, citing the New Territories East Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer, Chou Wing Yin, nine victims -- including a firefighter -- died at the scene, while four others succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

Two firefighters are among the injured, with one suffering severe exhaustion and another sustaining a leg injury, as reported by CNN.

According to CNN, visuals from the Wang Fuk Court housing complex showed towering flames bursting through apartment windows, with seven of the eight buildings still ablaze well into the night.

Deputy Director of the Hong Kong Fire Department, Chan Derek Armstrong, said that the blaze was reported at 2:51 pm (local time), and by the time firefighters arrived, the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the complex was already engulfed, spreading fire inside the building and outward to adjacent towers, as reported by CNN.

A massive emergency response has been deployed, with 767 firefighters, 128 firetrucks, 57 ambulances, eight fire hoses and seven fire engines engaged in the operation.

The complex was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding -- a traditional but highly flammable construction method widely used across Hong Kong's skyline.

Though still common, bamboo scaffolding is being phased out in favour of metal alternatives under new government guidelines due to safety concerns, CNN reported.

However, the Hong Kong Labour Department recorded 24 deaths linked to bamboo scaffolding between 2018 and August 2025.

The Wednesday blaze is feared to be Hong Kong's deadliest fire in nearly 30 years, according to CNN.

The last major fire tragedy occurred in 1997, when 17 people were killed in a karaoke bar blaze. Another fire in 2011 in Fa Yuen Street claimed nine lives. Authorities continue to battle the fire and search for survivors as the death toll may rise further. (ANI)

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