THREE men were arrested for suspected manslaughter in a fire that broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po of Hong Kong, on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 26, 2025, the Hong Kong Police Force said at a press briefing on Thursday.
The fire had left 44 dead and 45 injured by early Thursday morning.
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) John Lee said in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, that the fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po, had been gradually brought under control following firefighters’ tireless efforts.
Speaking at a press briefing, Lee said the death toll had risen to 44, with 279 people still missing. Twenty-nine remained hospitalized, including seven in critical condition. He said he was deeply saddened by the situation.
Lee said that from the outside, three buildings no longer showed visible flames, while four others displayed only sporadic fire spots.
He stressed that the HKSAR government would mobilize all resources to fully support the rescue operations. He instructed departments and units to carry out comprehensive work, including extinguishing the fire, rescuing trapped residents, treating the injured, providing assistance and emotional support to families, and conducting a full investigation into the incident.
The Fire Services Department of the HKSAR government was notified of the fire at around 2:51 p.m. Wednesday. Due to the intensity of the blaze, the alert level was raised to a No. 5 alarm at 6:22 p.m. Rescue operations were ongoing.
Wang Fuk Court consists of eight residential buildings, and the fire spread from one building to seven others.
The Hong Kong Hospital Authority has activated its Major Incident Control Center. Xinhua