Hong Kong High-Rise Blaze Kills Four; Bamboo Scaffolding Fuels Rapid Spread
Blaze engulfs residential tower in Tai Po, trapping dozens inside.
A catastrophic fire erupted on Wednesday afternoon in a 30-plus-storey residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, claiming four lives and leaving the city reeling from one of its deadliest high-rise blazes in years. The inferno rapidly transformed the building into a towering torch, with flames racing upward along extensive bamboo scaffolding that had been erected for renovation work.
Emergency services confirmed four fatalities and three injuries requiring hospitalisation, though earlier police communications had referenced eight victims, creating temporary confusion at the scene. Local media outlets reported that one of the deceased was a firefighter who succumbed while attempting rescue operations inside the smoke-choked structure, though authorities have yet to officially verify the claim.
The blaze was first reported shortly after midday and within minutes escalated to a No. 4 alarm, the second-highest emergency rating, mobilising more than 200 firefighters and dozens of engines. Live footage captured harrowing scenes of bright orange flames leaping dozens of metres into the sky and thick black smoke blanketing the suburban neighbourhood as ladder platforms battled the fire from multiple angles while rescue teams searched for trapped residents.
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Terrified occupants who managed to escape described chaotic evacuation attempts as corridors filled with choking smoke and intense heat. Police confirmed receiving numerous emergency calls reporting individuals still stranded on upper floors, prompting high-risk internal rescue missions even as the exterior scaffolding collapsed in sections under the extreme temperatures.
Situated in the northern New Territories near the border with Shenzhen, the affected building is part of a typical Hong Kong public-private housing estate. The tragedy has reignited urgent concerns over fire safety in high-rise structures surrounded by traditional bamboo scaffolding, a near-ubiquitous feature of the city’s skyline that critics have long warned can act as a deadly accelerant in the event of fire.
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