{"id":742359,"date":"2026-06-17T08:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/742359\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T08:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T08:28:09","slug":"asteroid-named-after-fallen-hong-kong-firefighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/742359\/","title":{"rendered":"Asteroid named after fallen Hong Kong firefighter"},"content":{"rendered":"

HONG KONG \u2013 A firefighter who gave his life saving others during Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest blaze in decades is continuing his journey far beyond Earth \u2013 his name metaphorically etched in a cosmic rock for centuries to come.<\/p>\n

An asteroid discovered more than two decades ago has been named after Ho Wai-ho, a 37-year-old firefighter killed while rescuing residents during a 43-hour inferno that gutted the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po district in November 2025.<\/p>\n

The decision, approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), gives Ho\u2019s name a permanent memorial among the stars.<\/p>\n

The asteroid \u2013 officially designated 34871 Howaiho \u2013 was named by Hong Kong-born astronomer William Yeung Kwong-yu, one of the world\u2019s most prolific discoverers of minor planets.<\/p>\n

Yeung discovered the asteroid in 2001 from his privately built observatory in the US.<\/p>\n

Ho\u2019s fiancee, Kiki, wrote in a social media post: \u201cMy beloved 34871 Ho Wai-ho, as a star you will forever watch over us.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said Yeung personally informed her of the decision.<\/p>\n

According to Kiki, the astronomer told her: \u201cThis asteroid may not be visible to the naked eye, but its meaning is real and eternal. Ho Wai-ho\u2019s name will remain in the solar system, and his courage, sacrifice and spirit of saving lives will stay in Hongkongers\u2019 memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tribute follows one of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest disasters in recent years.<\/p>\n

Ho died in November 2025 while responding to a massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district. As flames and smoke engulfed the building, he helped evacuate residents trapped inside.<\/p>\n

He never made it out.<\/p>\n

The 43-hour inferno became Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest blaze in decades, killing 168 people and displacing about 5,000 residents<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 43-hour fire that gutted the Wang Fuk Court complex in November 2025 killed at least 168 people.<\/p>\n

PHOTO: LAM YIK FEI\/NYTIMES<\/p>\n

Ho was later posthumously awarded the honorary rank of senior fireman.<\/p>\n

In its official citation, the IAU said Ho \u201cserved with courage in fire and rescue operations, assisting in the evacuation of residents during emergencies\u201d.<\/p>\n

The asteroid is estimated to be between 2km and 4km wide, roughly the size of a small mountain. It circles the Sun once every four years and is too faint to be seen without specialised equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HONG KONG \u2013 A firefighter who gave his life saving others during Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest blaze in decades…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":742360,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-742359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=742359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/742359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/742360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=742359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=742359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=742359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}