Hong Kong Fire Tragedy: Eight More Arrested by Anti-Corruption Agency After High-Rise Blaze Claims 128 Lives

In one of Hong Kong’s most catastrophic residential fires, firefighters conducting an exhaustive apartment-by-apartment sweep across seven devastated high-rise buildings discovered dozens of additional victims on Friday. The tragedy, which has already claimed at least 128 lives, has left many more residents unaccounted for as rescue operations continue. Authorities also confirmed the arrest of eight additional individuals linked to the building refurbishment works.

According to Andy Yeung, Director of Hong Kong Fire Services, first responders found that several fire alarms inside the building—home to a large population of elderly residents—failed to activate during safety tests. Yeung did not provide a specific count of the malfunctioning alarms, nor confirm whether multiple systems were compromised.

The blaze spread with alarming speed after highly flammable foam panels and bamboo scaffolding wrapped in protective netting ignited, allowing the fire to jump rapidly from one residential tower to the next. These materials, authorities said, appeared to have been installed by a private construction company overseeing major renovation works at the complex.

In a statement, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) announced that seven men and one woman, aged between 40 and 63, were arrested on Friday. The detainees include project managers supervising the renovation, directors of an engineering consultancy, and subcontractors responsible for scaffolding. Investigators suspect negligence and potential corruption linked to the refurbishment process.

Derek Armstrong Chan, Deputy Director of Hong Kong Fire Services, stated that firefighters prioritized units from which emergency calls were received but could not be reached during the early hours when the fire burned out of control. It took crews nearly a full day to contain the inferno, and it was not fully extinguished until Friday morning—almost 40 hours after the first flames broke out.

Even two days after the initial outbreak, smoke continued to drift from the charred shells of the high-rise blocks as stray hotspots reignited sporadically.

More Bodies Possible as 200 People Remain Missing

Chris Tang, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security, confirmed that roughly 200 individuals remain missing. This figure includes 89 unidentified bodies recovered from the debris. Although emergency personnel have completed their search for survivors trapped inside, Tang warned that the death toll could still rise.

Yeung added that 79 people were injured in total—among them 12 firefighters. Earlier reports also confirmed the death of one firefighter during the rescue effort, which mobilized more than 2,300 firefighters and medical workers.

Among the displaced residents was 70-year-old Katy Lo, who was away from home when the fire erupted. “I still can’t believe what happened,” Lo said as she applied for government assistance on Friday. “It feels like a nightmare.”

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry announced that two Indonesian migrant workers were among the deceased, while up to eleven more domestic workers living in the complex remain missing, according to Indonesian Consul General Yul Edison.

The Hong Kong government will lower all official flags to half-staff from Saturday through Monday in remembrance of the victims. Chief Executive John Lee will also lead a three-minute moment of silence at the government headquarters on Saturday.

The affected residential complex—an interconnected group of eight 31-story towers known as Wang Fuk Court—was built in the 1980s and housed approximately 4,800 residents across 2,000 units. The estate has been undergoing extensive renovation at the time of the incident.

Investigation Focuses on Highly Flammable Foam Panels

Police confirmed that three individuals, including directors of a construction company and an engineering consultant, were arrested earlier on suspicion of manslaughter. Investigators believe the executives may have exhibited gross negligence in the materials and methods used during the renovation.

Records published on the homeowners’ association website showed that the Prestige Construction & Engineering Company was contracted for the improvement works. Police have not yet formally named the company in their investigation, but officers seized multiple boxes of documents from the firm’s offices on Thursday. phone lines at the company went unanswered throughout the day.

Alongside Friday’s arrests, ICAC officers conducted raids on the suspects’ offices, seizing documents, financial records, and banking data relevant to the case.

Investigators discovered that the remaining untouched tower had highly flammable polyethylene foam panels attached to window frames on every floor. Police believe the construction company installed these panels, but their purpose remains unclear.

According to Security Secretary Tang, preliminary findings indicate the fire originated in the lower-level scaffolding netting of one building before rapidly climbing upward as the foam panels caught fire. “The flames intensified quickly, penetrating interior spaces and shattering glass panels,” Tang explained.

Authorities now believe that certain exterior building materials used in the renovation failed to meet Hong Kong’s fire safety standards, enabling the blaze to spread with abnormal speed.

In response, the government has ordered immediate inspections of all residential buildings currently undergoing major renovations to ensure scaffolding, exterior materials, and construction practices meet mandatory safety requirements.

This disaster marks Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. The last comparable tragedy occurred in 1996 when 41 people were killed in a Kowloon commercial building fire. The South china Morning Post also recorded an even earlier incident: a warehouse fire in 1948 that claimed 176 lives.