A catastrophic fire that erupted on Wednesday afternoon in Hong Kong's densely populated Tai Po district has claimed at least 44 lives, with authorities raising the death toll from 36 overnight as firefighters continued to battle smoldering ruins across seven high-rise buildings at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate. The blaze, which engulfed bamboo scaffolding erected for ongoing maintenance, spread rapidly to 2,000 apartment units in eight interconnected towers, marking the city's deadliest inferno in decades.

Police announced the arrest of three men from a construction firm on suspicion of manslaughter, though details regarding their alleged roles remain undisclosed amid an intensifying investigation. The suspects' detention underscores early suspicions of negligence linked to the scaffolding's installation or the use of non-compliant materials on the buildings' exteriors, which officials believe accelerated the fire's ferocious spread fueled by wind and airborne debris.

Eyewitness accounts from the scene described a harrowing spectacle of thick black smoke billowing skyward, accompanied by explosive cracking sounds from the burning bamboo and orange flames piercing through apartment windows late into the night. A 65-year-old resident, who had called the complex home for over 40 years, recounted the chaos of closed windows—sealed for renovations—preventing awareness of the danger until frantic neighborly calls prompted evacuations, particularly challenging for the many elderly and mobility-impaired inhabitants.

Also Read: Hong Kong High-Rise Blaze Kills Four; Bamboo Scaffolding Fuels Rapid Spread

More than 900 displaced residents sought shelter in temporary community halls, some of which reached capacity by evening, while at least 279 individuals remained unaccounted for as families trickled in to report missing loved ones. Fire services deputy director Derek Armstrong Chan noted the extreme temperatures on upper floors had initially thwarted rescue efforts for those pleading for help, though operations persisted through the night despite the challenges posed by the structures' height and the fire's multi-building trajectory.

In response, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee expressed profound sorrow and mobilized all government agencies to support affected families, while Chinese President Xi Jinping conveyed condolences, particularly for a firefighter killed in the line of duty, urging exhaustive measures to contain the disaster and mitigate further losses. Authorities have initiated a formal probe into the blaze's origins and the implicated building materials, amid reflections on the vulnerabilities of the city's towering residential landscape where enhanced safety protocols had previously curbed such tragedies.

Also Read: Tourist’s Candle Triggers Fire That Destroys Wenchang Pavilion Temple in China