Hong Kong high-rise blaze leaves 13 dead as residents flee massive overnight fire

Hong Kong authorities say 13 people have died after a fast-moving fire swept through a cluster of high-rise residential towers in the Tai Po district of the New Territories. Emergency officials confirmed that nine residents were found dead at the scene, while four others later died in hospital.

Officials say roughly 700 people living in the affected housing complex were forced to leave their homes and have since been moved to temporary shelters. Local authorities are assessing the safety of nearby buildings, as several structures were wrapped in construction scaffolding and netting that helped the flames spread upward.

Footage from the area showed columns of fire and dense smoke rising into the night sky, with residents watching from a distance as flames burst from multiple floors. Fire crews worked through the evening to contain the blaze and prevent it from moving deeper into the densely populated neighbourhood.

The incident has raised renewed concerns in Hong Kong about fire safety standards during building renovations, a topic also monitored by Canadian municipal governments as similar scaffolding systems are used in major cities, including Vancouver and Surrey where high-rise construction is ongoing.