Hong Kong fire kills 13 people, including firefighter, in Tai Po blaze

A hearth engulfed a number of high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at the least 13 folks and reportedly trapping others inside.

Hong Kong Hearth Brigade said received reviews of a fireplace breaking out at round 2:50 p.m. within the Wang Fuk Courtroom in Tai Po, a district within the northern New Territories

The fireplace was upgraded to alarm No. 5, probably the most extreme classification in Hong Kong, at 6:22 p.m

In a authorities assertion the department said 9 folks have been taken to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital.

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Flames engulf bamboo scaffolding in a number of buildings of the Wang Fuk Courtroom residential space in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on November 26, 2025. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

4 folks have been declared lifeless and three have been in essential situation. One other was listed as severe and one was steady.

Hong Kong Safety Minister Tang Ping-keung said a firefighter died after sustaining accidents whereas preventing the hearth.

“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life of Mr. Ho, who was killed throughout surgical procedure. I lengthen my deepest condolences to his relations,” Tang stated.

Firefighters attempt to extinguish flames engulfing bamboo scaffolding over a number of buildings on the Wang Fuk Courtroom residential space in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on November 26, 2025. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Photographs from the scene confirmed the towers’ bamboo scaffoldings engulfed in flames and thick, darkish smoke pouring from a number of flooring.

Firefighters have been working to extinguish the blaze, and one man was photographed in seen misery and stated his spouse was trapped inside.

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Wong, 71, reacts after claiming his spouse is trapped in Wang Fuk Courtroom throughout a significant fireplace in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on November 26, 2025. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree residing in the neighborhood, told The South China Morning Post that the hearth alarms didn’t go off when the hearth broke out, regardless that the buildings have been geared up with them.

“If anybody was asleep then, it was performed,” he stated.

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Former Tai Po district councilor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho additionally informed the newspaper that residents reported not listening to the hearth alarm go off even after noticing the scent of smoke. He stated they have been solely alerted when a safety guard knocked on their door, giving them little time to get out.

The Tai Po District Workplace opened short-term shelters for these in want at Kwong Fuk Group Corridor and Tung Cheong Road Group Corridor.