US EditionGrief, trauma weigh on survivors of catastrophic Hong Kong fire
More than 4,600 displaced residents remain in temporary housing as investigations continue into renovations and safety failures that led to the fire, officials said.
- On November 26, a fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court housing complex, Tai Po, Hong Kong, killing 161 people and engulfing seven of eight residential towers during renovations.
- Amid probes, renovation contractors and firms are under investigation as substandard netting is linked to the fire's spread, and police have arrested 7 people tied to construction firms.
- Yip Ka-kui has turned holiday photos into a memorial for his wife Pak Shui-lin, 66, while Filipino domestic worker Rhodora Alcaraz, 28, returned to San Pablo for ongoing medical and psychiatric care.
- More than 4,600 displaced people remain in temporary accommodation as NGOs such as the Samaritan Befrienders offer free mental-health services amid warnings of long-term trauma, while the Hong Kong government has yet to decide on the estate's future, with resettlement expected to take years.
- Families await DNA matches as they seek closure while police say some badly burned remains require time-consuming DNA tests and the death toll could still rise.
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"I feel guilty, I always feel that I warned her too late and that she was unable to escape in time," says Mr. Yip.
Two Narratives on the Hong Kong Fire
The 26 November 2025 Wang Fu Court fire has a lot of similarity with London's 2017 Grenfell fire. In terms of scale, the former was much bigger – instead of just one building there were seven on fire, and instead of 72 deaths there have been 160 deaths as of now. However, the combustible materials used in renovating the outer walls were the direct cause of both. IVP611 - December 2025 / Hong Kong, Public services
Yip Ka-kui shows in his cell photos that bring him happy memories in front of Egypt's pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal beside his wife Pak Shui-lin, who died a month ago in the most deadly fire in Hong Kong for several decades. Yip, 68, is one of thousands of people who have lost a loved one in the disaster of the housing complex of Wang Fuk Court, something that few would have imagined in one of Asia's safest and developed cities. W…
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