1m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 11:11pmHong Kong Police set up Restricted Flying Zone near blaze
Hong Kong Police Force have tweeted they will set up a restricted flying zone above and around the Wang Fuk Court blaze.
The restricted flying zone will be in place from 8am on November 27 to 8am on November 30 at 8am (local time).
3m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 11:08pm
Hong Kongers build app to track missing residents
Hong Kong residents have built an app designed to help people track reports of missing relatives inside the Wang Fuk Court high-rises.
Users can submit information on a linked Google document, which is then displayed on a spreadsheet covering towers, floors and individual rooms.
A screenshot of the Tai Po Fire app. (Supplied: taipo-fire.web.app)
The rooms’ status can be set by users to “SOS” or “Safety”, depending on whether the residents are accounted for.
Most of the red SOS reports can be found in the Thailand and Chang tower listings, also known as buildings E and F.
Comments can also be attached to the submissions, with some describing the residents in the hope they will be recognised among the injured or other survivors.
One submission currently reads: “Two elderly women of medium build (the 97-year-old grandmother requires a wheelchair to get around).”
24m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:48pm
Mainland authorities to support Hong Kong rescue effort
The Xinhua news agency is reporting Chinese President Xi Jinping has been briefed on the situation and has instructed central authorities to support Hong Kong’s rescue, medical care and recovery efforts.
He also conveyed condolences to the families of the victims and fallen firefighter Ho Wai-ho.
The Chinese government’s Liaison Office for Hong Kong has set up a special task group to coordinate and assist with the operation.
26m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:46pm
Watch: China correspondent Allyson Horn speaks to News Breakfast
China correspondent Allyson Horn is in Beijing, China and spoke to News Breakfast earlier this morning.
You can watch the full video of here:
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30m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:41pm
Schools in Tai Po district to shut today
Hong Kong’s Education Bureau says several schools in Tai Po — including kindergartens, primary and secondary schools — will close on Thursday due to the fire, as well as widespread traffic disruptions.
The bureau added that any school affected by the situation can temporarily close as long as it follows the required procedures.
35m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:36pmConstruction company directors, consultant arrested over fire
The three people arrested earlier this morning on suspicion of manslaughter were two directors and a consultant for a construction company, Hong Kong police have confirmed.
The three men were arrested around 2am local time and are aged between 52 and 68.
The Wang Fuk Court complex has been undergoing renovations, which required scaffolding outside each of the complex’s eight high-rise towers.
The project was being managed by the Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, but the ABC has so far been unable to confirm whether Prestige employed the three men who were arrested.
While seven of the towers burned, police and firefighters were able to access the eighth building, where Security Secretary Chris Tang says they discovered “exterior netting, tarpaulin and plastic sheeting that burned far more intensely than permitted materials” as well as styrofoam stuck to window frames.
Fire Services Director Andy Yeung says the styrofoam panels were blocking ventilation gaps and were extremely flammable, prompting police to investigate whether criminal activity was involved.
Hong Kong Police Force’s senior superintendent Eileen Chung says police are looking at a company that was carrying out maintenance work on the building.
“We have reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” she said.
57m agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:14pm
Where exactly is the fire located?
 The blaze is centred on Wang Fuk Court, a cluster of apartment towers in Tai Po, a district in Hong Kong’s north-east near the mainland border on the southern edge of the Pearl River Delta.
Asked whether the government would seek assistance from Beijing — including fire services, after footage appeared to show mainland crews standing by at the border — Chief Executive John Lee says he has been in frequent contact with leaders of nearby mainland cities and their firefighting units.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:12pm45 hospitalised in a serious condition
The injury toll has also been updated, with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department lifting the number of injured from 29 to 56.
Among those injured, 45 are in hospital in a serious condition.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:11pmDeath toll rises to 44
Hong Kong police say the death toll in a fire that ripped through residential blocks in the city has risen to 44.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:08pm
Fire crews still battling challenging conditions
The Hong Kong government says fire crews are still working through “extremely difficult conditions”.
While the blaze in three of the affected towers is largely under control, small pockets of fire continue to burn in four other buildings.
Firefighters are moving floor by floor and have so far reached the 17th to 18th floors in most towers.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 10:06pmFirefighters gain access to buildings’ upper floors
ABC News Breakfast crossed live earlier this morning to journalist Ryan Chang, who is on the ground in Hong Kong.
He points out he can see torchlight flashing from within some of the buildings, indicating firefighters have managed to gain access to some of the upper floors — a key difficulty early in the fight.
He adds that bamboo scaffolding fires aren’t common in Hong Kong — the city has had more issues with typhoons — however the city has been trying to phase out the material’s use since March.
Loading…1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:59pmPM comments on Hong Kong blaze
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has commented on the blaze in Hong Kong.
“My heart goes out to the people who have lost their lives, and the people who are searching and concerned about loved ones, this has been a human tragedy and the hearts of all Australians today will be thinking of the people of Hong Kong who are going through a very tough day.”
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:57pm
Firefighting veteran says high-rises at risk of collapse
The horrifying sight of high-rises covered in flames is nothing compared to the situation inside.
That’s according to Dave Downey, a veteran firefighter of four decades and the chair of the National Fire Protection Agency in the US.
He says the combustible materials decking the exterior make for extreme conditions for firefighters inside and anyone trapped in their apartments.
“It’s a concrete structure, so it’s virtually an oven inside,” he told ABC NewsRadio.
“The higher you go, the hotter it gets, and it appears that the fire not only extended up the outside, but penetrated into the building.
“I absolutelty have concerns about the possibility of collapse … the concrete can only withhold so much heat.”
Chief Downey said there were echoes of other overseas disasters, and yet another wake-up call around safety standards.
“We’ve seen these exterior fires before,” he said.
“The tragedy in London and the Grenfell Towers, it was an exterior fire that travelled rapidly up the outside of a building.
“The hotel in Dubai, the New Year’s Eve fire in 2015, again, a combustible exterior.
“Having this combustible exterior lends us to massive fire growth, and we’re seeing this firsthand in this tragedy.”
You can hear the full interview with Chief Davey below.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:52pmDFAT not aware of any Australians affected
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has released a statement on the Hong Kong apartment fires, saying it is not aware of any Australians that have been affected.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and their loved ones,” the statement reads.
“At this stage, we are not aware of any Australians being affected. Australian officials in Hong Kong continue to closely monitor the situation.
“Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135, or +61 2 6261 3305 (if calling from overseas).”
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:49pm’Dedicated and gallant’ firefighter dies battling blaze
Hong Kong authorities have paid tribute to a firefighter who has died battling the Wang Fuk Court fire.
Ho Wai-ho, 37, was described as “dedicated and gallant” by Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin.
“All of our colleagues are deeply saddened by the loss of such a devoted comrade. On behalf of all our colleagues, I have offered the deepest condolences to his family,” Yeung said, according to The Standard.
Ho had served as a firefighter for nine years, and was based in the neighbouring Sha Tin district.
He was found unconscious at the scene of the fires yesterday afternoon and taken to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:37pm
Explainer: What role did bamboo scaffolding play in the blaze?
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world to use bamboo scaffolding in modern construction, and it’s become an ubiquitous part of its urban culture.
It’s lightweight, easily customisable and relatively cheap compared to steel — but it can burn, break down and become weaker in rain, which is why the government is moving to phase it out.
ABC reporter Patrick Martin takes a look at bamboo scaffolding, why it’s still so popular in Hong Kong, and what role it could have played in the fire.
1h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:13pm
Police press conference delayed until further notice
If, like me, you’ve been waiting for the police press conference that was due to start 40 minutes ago, I have some bad news — it’s been delayed, and while they say they will brief the press later today, there’s no word on when that will happen.
2h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 9:07pm
Are Hong Kong’s legislative elections still going ahead?
There’s some confusion about whether or not Hong Kong’s Legislative Council elections are still going ahead in the wake of the Wang Fuk Court fires.
The “Legco” elections — the complicated and controversial process of choosing Hong Kong’s legislature, with few directly elected seats and participation limited to “patriots only” since 2021 — were due to take place on December 7, and currently there has been no official word on their cancellation.
However, several parties have announced they are suspending campaign activities, and the government itself has halted publicity efforts surrounding the poll, in order to prioritise the disaster response.
Advertising for Hong Kong’s Legco elections. (Supplied: elections.gov.hk)
Asked about the elections earlier this morning, Chief Executive John Lee would only say the government would decide on such matters “a few days later” after reviewing the situation.
“An election is an important matter, but what is more important now is to handle the blaze and offer support to those affected,” he said, according to the South China Morning Post.
2h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 8:53pm
Some statistics on Hong Kong’s massive emergency responseMore than 800 firefighters are at the scene of the Wang Fuk Court fire.Nine hospitals in Hong Kong are on emergency footing as they prepare for an influx of burn patients.At least 900 residents spent the night at eight temporary shelters set up by authorities in response to the blaze.Care teams — volunteer-based groups that visit the elderly and needy — from all of Hong Kong’s 18 districts have been deployed to help those affected register for emergency aid.
2h agoWed 26 Nov 2025 at 8:43pm
‘Five-alarm’ blaze the first in Hong Kong in 17 years
Hong Kong’s fire department has classified the Wang Fuk Court blaze as a five-alarm fire — the highest level available.
It’s the first five-alarm fire in Hong Kong since the Cornwall Court fire in 2008, when four people died after a blaze broke out in a nightclub and karaoke bar in Mong Kok.