More than 70 others were injured, including a firefighter who lost his life while pulling residents from the smoke filled corridors.
Officials described the fire as a fourth alarm inferno, a classification reserved for the most stubborn and dangerous blazes, one that has kept rescue crews on their toes for hours on end. The complex consists of eight residential towers, each rising 31 floors, collectively home to nearly 5,000 residents.
The scale of the disaster has forced emergency teams to work floor by floor, door by door, searching for survivors in hallways choked with thick smoke.
Authorities say around 700 residents have been moved into temporary shelters, where weary families wait anxiously for word about missing loved ones. For many, the uncertainty has been a night that refused to end.
Standing outside a shelter, 52 year old Ng clutched her daughter’s graduation photo, her voice cracking as she said, They haven’t come out yet. It was a small fire at first… if they had put it out quickly, maybe this wouldn’t have happened. Now everything is gone.
Another resident, 70 year old Cho, returned from visiting a friend only to find her apartment block still smoldering. It feels unreal, she said softly. You leave home for a moment, and when you come back, your whole world is up in flames.
For 68 year old Wai Wai Chan, whose block is no longer burning, the danger remains. We can t go back, but we can t go anywhere else either, she said, describing the situation as living in limbo.
Police confirmed that three individuals have been detained on suspicion of arson, though investigators emphasized that the cause of the blaze remains too early to pin down. The tragedy immediately sparked comparisons with the infamous Grenfell Tower fire in London, where combustible exterior materials were found largely responsible. Hong Kong authorities say they are examining all possibilities.
Firefighters, exhausted yet resolute, continued to battle pockets of stubborn flame trapped deep inside the interconnected structures. Officials warned that some residents may still be trapped in upper floors, where stairwells have become hazardous and visibility remains near zero.
Local media have already called this Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in 50 years, a grim milestone that has ignited fears over building safety in one of the world’s most densely populated cities.
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching te expressed condolences on social media, offering prayers for the victims and hoping that the missing would be found safe and soon.
As the smoke finally begins to thin over the charred towers, the emotional haze is likely to linger far longer. For residents who escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs, the tragedy has left behind a heavy silence, the kind that settles after shock but before healing begins.
