Authorities in Hong Kong on Monday said the protective netting used in the renovation works at the residential complex that caught fire last week did not meet fire safety codes.
On Wednesday, a deadly fire broke at the Wang Fuk Court, a densely-packed eight-tower apartment complex in Tai Po, engulfing seven of the complex’s eight buildings. Authorities raised the official death count from 128 on Friday to 146 on Sunday and then to 151 on Monday at press time.
The residential complex, which housed some 2,000 apartments, was undergoing renovation works at the time of the incident. It has been reportedly estimated that over 4,500 individuals resided in the apartments, including many elderly.
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Chris Tang reportedly announced to reporters on Monday morning that officials took samples of the netting that covered the scaffolding for the renovation works across all seven burned buildings. Testing of the samples revealed that the netting was not up to fire safety standards, contradicting initial testing that reportedly suggested otherwise.
“Because the fire is now out, we have been able to get to places that were not easily accessible before to take samples,” Tang told reporters.
“We believe it was the protective nets that did not meet fire resistance standards, and the Styrofoam boards, that caused the fire to spread so rapidly,” Tang reportedly said at another point of his press conference.
According to the latest update from the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the fire left at least 79 injured, including 12 firefighters. There are still 40 people deemed to be missing, with as many as 100 cases now catalogued as “unresolvable.” 37-year old firefighter Ho Wai-ho is among the 151 reported casualties. The firefighter died while trying to extinguish the deadly fires.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Police regional commander Lam Man-han explained that officials from the Disaster Victims Identification Unit (DVIU) have begun search operations, which are expected to finish within three weeks. Lam said that conditions inside Wang Cheong House, the first of the seven buildings that caught fire, are “extremely bad,” and stressed, “it’s a scene of complete devastation.”
“The police deeply understand the deceased’s relatives now have to deal with indescribable grief and torment,” Lam said.
Police officers from the Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) inspect inside Wang Fuk Court after the deadly fire in Taipo district on November 30, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. Hong Kong is observing three days of official mourning for the victims of the fatal apartment fire. ( Anthony Kwan/Getty)
Further reports from the Hong Kong police indicate that highly flammable materials were used throughout the renovation works, which allowed the fire to rapidly spread. Survivors of the deadly fire told reporters last week that the fire alarms were not functioning at the time of the fire.
Hong Kong’s The Standard newspaper reported that residents of the now-burned buildings complained about the netting to the office to the city’s Labor Department for almost a year. The newspaper detailed that, according to a purported December 2024 email, the Labor Department deemed the potential fire risk from the netting as “relatively low.”
The Standard, citing statements issued by the Labor Department, reported that it had inspected the residential complex 16 times since July 2024, with the last inspection having taken place on November 20, six days before the deadly fire.
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