151 Dead in Hong Kong Blaze | The Fire Safety Failures Behind the Tragedy

Last week, Hong Kong experienced its deadliest fire in over 70 years. At least 151 people lost their lives when flames engulfed seven of eight tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district. Among the dead: one firefighter, five construction workers, and dozens of residents who never made it out of their homes.

Fire safety during renovation projects should unquestionably demand the same rigour as any other high-risk activity, and failure in this area can put hundreds or even thousands of lives at risk.

What Happened at Wang Fuk Court?

The fire broke out on the afternoon of 26 November 2025, starting on the lower-level scaffolding of one of the residential blocks. Within hours, flames had spread across seven of the eight buildings in the complex, which housed approximately 4,600 residents.

The estate had been undergoing major exterior renovations since July 2024. All eight buildings were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green safety netting – a common sight in Hong Kong, where large-scale refurbishment projects can take months or even years. More than 2,300 firefighters were deployed, and the blaze wasn't fully extinguished until Friday morning, nearly 48 hours after it began.

How Did the Fire Spread So Quickly?

Investigators have identified several critical factors that allowed what started as a localised fire to become an inferno.

The construction safety netting created what's known as a chimney effect, promoting strong upward convection and accelerating the fire's vertical spread. Flammable expanded polystyrene foam boards had been used to seal windows during the renovation work. When these caught fire, they blew out windows and allowed flames to spread inside the buildings.

Fire alarms across all eight blocks were found to be non-functional. Reports suggest some alarms had been intentionally disabled by construction workers to allow easier access in and out of buildings. Initial tests indicated the netting met flame-retardant standards, but subsequent sampling from multiple locations revealed some materials were not up to code.

The fire reached temperatures of 500°C and reignited in some areas after being doused. The combination of flammable materials, disabled safety systems, and the physical configuration of the scaffolding created conditions for catastrophic spread.

Who Is Being Held Accountable?

Hong Kong authorities have launched criminal investigations on multiple fronts. Fourteen people have now been arrested in connection with the fire. Three individuals connected to the construction company were initially arrested on manslaughter and gross negligence charges. A further eight were arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption on suspicion of corruption, including company directors and an engineering consultant. Additional arrests followed as the investigation widened.

The contractor responsible, Prestige Construction, had a documented history of safety violations, including two convictions in 2023 and fines totalling HK$30,000 for separate breaches. Hong Kong's Labour Department confirmed it had conducted 16 inspections of the site since July 2024 – with the most recent occurring just one week before the fire – and had issued multiple written warnings about fire safety requirements.

This raises uncomfortable questions about regulatory effectiveness. When a site has received 16 inspections and multiple warnings yet still has non-compliant materials and disabled alarm systems at the time of a fatal incident, something in the enforcement chain has failed.

What Can Safety Professionals Learn from This Tragedy?

As safety professionals, we must understand that every major incident possibly offers lessons and considerations for our own workplaces. Here's what I believe this tragedy reinforces for safety professionals working with construction and renovation projects.

• Fire risk assessment must be dynamic, not static. Renovation projects change constantly. Fire risk assessments need regular review and updating to reflect actual site conditions, not just the original plan. 
• Life safety systems must remain operational. Disabling fire alarms for convenience is never acceptable. Where construction activities create nuisance alarms, the solution is to implement managed workarounds, temporary isolation with alternative arrangements, or human fire watch provisions. Do not simply switch systems off. 
• Material selection demands scrutiny. The use of flammable polystyrene boards to seal windows during renovation work appears to have been a critical factor in this tragedy. Whenever fire-resistant alternatives exist, they should be the default choice, particularly in occupied buildings. 
• Occupied building renovations require enhanced controls. Renovating buildings while residents remain in place creates unique hazards. Escape routes can be compromised, and fire compartmentation may be breached. These projects warrant heightened scrutiny and more stringent control measures than vacant-site construction. 
• Regulatory compliance is necessary but not sufficient. Sixteen inspections didn't prevent this disaster. Compliance paperwork and code-compliant certificates mean little if materials on site don't match documentation or if safety systems have been bypassed. Competent supervision that actually verifies conditions on the ground remains essential. 
• Contractor competence matters. A company with a documented history of safety violations was carrying out major work on an occupied residential complex. Due diligence on contractor safety records should be fundamental to procurement decisions.

This incident will prompt regulatory reviews in Hong Kong and likely influence building safety discussions internationally. The parallels with Grenfell Tower – external cladding, fire spread, occupied buildings, regulatory gaps – are difficult to ignore.

For those of us in health and safety, the lesson is simpler and more immediate: fire safety during construction and renovation work requires the same systematic approach, competent oversight, and robust risk management as any other high-hazard activity. The consequences of getting it wrong are measured in lives lost.

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