Hong Kong fire live updates: three reportedly arrested with dozens dead and hundreds missing in apartment complex blaze – latest

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The death toll has risen again to 44, fire officials say.

Officials said they are still having difficulties proceeding into the upper floors in some of the buildings in the residential complex as the fire continues.

Those killed or injured in the fires have mostly suffered from burns and smoke inhalation, rescue workers said.

Death toll rises to 40

At least 40 people have died during the blaze, officials announced at an early morning press conference.

Forty-five others are in critical condition.

Paramedics rushing a woman on a stretchered to an ambulance as a major fire engulfs several residential buildings at Wang Fuk Court on November 27, 2025 in Hong Kong. Photograph: Kobe Li/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Police have arrested three people after the deadly blaze on suspicion of manslaughter, according to local news reports. We’re expected to hear more on those arrests shortly.

Hong Kong fire officials are about to hold a press conference with the latest details from the blaze. We’ll bring you live updates from that event.

Firefighters have received calls from trapped residents, but are battling difficult conditions

Firefighters have struggled to reach the upper floors of the high-rise buildings, even after hours battling the blaze.

John Lee, Hong Kong’s leader, said earlier:

The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped. The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we’ll launch a thorough investigation.

A firefighter on a fire truck ladder as smoke and flames rise at Wang Fuk Court. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Derek Armstrong Chan, the deputy director of Fire Service operations, said it had received “numerous” calls for assistance and that some residents remained trapped as of Wednesday night. He said, per the Associated Press:

Debris and scaffolding of the affected buildings [is] falling down. The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It’s difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations.

Where is Tai Po?

Tai Po, one of Hong Kong’s 18 districts, sits in the north of the region in the New Territories. The district is home to about 300,000 people.

The Wang Fuk Court towers are among the tallest in the district. Reuters reports the buildings have been occupied since 1983 and remain part of the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme. The complex has been undergoing renovations over the past year.

A person uses their phone to record the blaze. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

Firefighters try to extinguish the fire. Photograph: Chan Long Hei/AP

Emergency vehicles congregate outside. Photograph: Vernon Yuen/Nexpher/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

Here’s what we know

• At least 36 people are dead after a huge fire engulfed several residential high rises at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po. The complex is made up of eight 32-storey towers, contenting about 2,000 flats. Around 4,800 people live there.

• Another 279 people are missing, John Lee, the city’s leader, said earlier today. Dozens of others were hospitalised.

• More than 128 fire engines and nearly 800 firefighters were dispatched the scene, where they have spent hours trying to get the blazes under control. At least one firefighter was among the dead.

• The cause of the fire was not immediately known after it reportedly started just before 3pm local time, quickly spreading through the buildings, which were covered in bamboo scaffolding.

Welcome to our live blog after a devastating fire broke out at a residential apartment complex in Hong Kong. We’ll bring you the latest updates – including from a press conference with Hong Kong police – soon.

Stick with us.