Deadly fire in Hong Kong

A devastating fire broke out in a residential complex of eight buildings in Hong Kong on 26 November 2025, which contains around 2 000 apartments housing approximately 4 800 residents.

The fire, which started in one of the buildings, quickly spread to six of the other seven structures in the complex. By the following day, the blaze had been extinguished in four of the affected towers, while efforts to control the fire in the remaining three were still ongoing.

The human toll stands at 128 dead and 79 injured.

Local authorities reported that bamboo scaffolding erected for renovation work and flammable synthetic materials stored in the buildings contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after investigators discovered certain flammable materials left behind during maintenance work.

The fire, classified as category five on the alert scale (the highest), is the deadliest Hong Kong has seen in decades.

China Taiping Insurance Holdings may incur a loss of up to 200 million USD in connection with the insurance coverage for the residential complex.