A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong apartment complex that has killed at least 55 people and nearly 300 missing may have been caused by a "grossly negligent" construction firm using unsafe materials, according to police.
Almost a full day after the blaze began, firefighters are struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of Wang Fuk Court due to intense heat and thick smoke.
Police said in addition to the buildings being covered with protective mesh sheets and plastic that may not meet fire standards, they discovered that some windows on one unaffected building were sealed with a foam material, installed by a construction company carrying out year-long maintenance work.
"We have reason to believe that the company's responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties," said Eileen Chung, a Hong Kong police superintendent.
Three men from the construction company - two directors and one engineering consultant - had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, she added.
Police officers searched the housing estate's building maintenance company and seized documents that mention of Wang Fuk Court, local media reported.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Watch: Firefighters at scene of deadly Hong Kong blaze
The tightly packed complex in the northern Tai Po district has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks that are home to more than 4,600 people in a city struggling with chronic shortages of affordable housing.
Authorities said they had brought the fire in four of seven blocks under control, with operations continuing in three blocks.
Video from the scene, 22 hours after the blaze started, showed flames still leaping from at least two of the 32-storey towers sheathed in green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding.
The bamboo scaffolding is a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but has been subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
Authorities said that 55 people were killed and 72 injured. A firefighter was among those who died.
"The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped," Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters.
"The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we'll launch a thorough investigation."
Some 279 people were uncontactable and 900 were in eight shelters, he added.
The death toll is the highest in a Hong Kong fire since 1948, when 176 people were killed in a warehouse blaze.
The latest fire has prompted comparisons to the Grenfell Tower inferno that killed 72 people in London in 2017.
It was blamed on firms fitting the exterior with flammable cladding, as well as failings by the UK government and the construction industry.
"Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong," the Grenfell United survivors' group said on social media.
"To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone."
Our hearts go out to all those affected by the horrific fire in Hong Kong.
— Grenfell United (@GrenfellUnited) November 26, 2025
We are thinking of every family waiting for news, mourning loved ones, or holding onto hope for those still missing.
To the families, friends and communities, we stand with you. You are not alone.
Harry Cheung, who has lived at Block Two in one of the complexes for more than 40 years, said he heard a loud noise at about 2.45pm (6.45am yesterday) and saw fire erupt in a nearby block.
"I immediately went back to pack up my things," the 66-year-old said.
"I don't even know how I feel right now."
Another resident said: "We bought in this building more than 20 years ago. All of our belongings were in this building, and now that it has all burned like this, what's left?
"There’s nothing left. What are we supposed to do?"
A woman was distraught as she looked for her daughter outside a shelter.
"She and her father are still not out yet. They didn't have water to save our building," she said through tears, carrying her daughter's graduation photo.
Another long-time resident said that she still had not been able to contact her friends who live in the next block.
After staying over at a friend's place overnight, the 70-year-old came back to see her home still burning.
"We don't know what to do," she said.
Many residents took to social media to criticise what they saw as negligence and cost cutting as a cause of the fire.
One video showed several construction workers smoking on the bamboo scaffolding surrounding one of the complex's blocks during the renovation process.
China's President Xi Jinping urged an "all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground yesterday as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development.
Hong Kong's government moved to start phasing out bamboo scaffolding in March, citing worker safety after 22 deaths involving bamboo scaffolders between 2019 and 2024.
It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
Though fire hazard was not cited as a reason for the phase out, there have been at least three fires involving bamboo scaffolding this year, according to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims in Hong Kong.
Sky-high property prices have long been a trigger for social discontent in the city and the tragedy could further stoke resentment towards authorities ahead of a city-wide legislative election early next month.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with 300,000 residents.
Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government's subsidised home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites.
