The devastating high‑rise fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26 left countless residents shaken, with survivors recalling the terrifying moments they narrowly escaped the rapidly spreading flames.
Seventy‑four‑year‑old Tang Ping‑man and his wife were among those who survived by mere seconds. Tang said he first smelled smoke around 3 p.m. Moments later, a firefighter knocked on the door of their 10th‑floor apartment in Wang Fuk Court, warning them of a fire in a nearby block. Believing the danger was manageable, the elderly couple initially refused to evacuate until thick smoke began pouring in.
According to The New York Times, the couple called for help and hid in the bathroom, using wet towels to cover their noses as smoke seeped through the door cracks. They were finally rescued around 6 p.m. and brought to a nearby school converted into an emergency shelter.
“We were incredibly lucky. It was pitch-black inside. If we’d tried escaping on our own, we probably wouldn’t have survived,” Tang said.
The fire began in a high‑rise in Tai Po and spread at an alarming rate, forcing residents to flee in panic or await rescue. Authorities have confirmed that an unspecified number of people remain trapped inside the burning building.
Some residents were carried out by firefighters, while others huddled outside until past midnight, watching emergency crews battle the towering flames.
“How can anyone sleep when their home is burning?” said Sze Kam‑sang, a man in his 70s who clutched a small blanket while staring at the blaze. He has lived in Wang Fuk Court for nearly 40 years. He was at a medical appointment when his wife called to tell him their building was on fire. His only hope now is that the flames have not reached his 19th‑floor apartment, just above the levels engulfed by fire.
By the early hours of November 27 almost 12 hours after the blaze began the massive fire still had not been fully contained, marking one of the largest residential fires the area has seen in decades. Sze said that while the complex had experienced small fires before, nothing compared to the scale of this disaster.
He also noted that the building had been undergoing its first major renovation in 40 years. Bamboo scaffolding wrapped around the structure commonly used in Hong Kong may have accelerated the fire’s spread.
Thick black smoke continued to rise over the 32‑story building as bamboo poles crackled and sparked in the flames. Dozens of fire trucks and ambulances lined the streets, their emergency lights flashing through the night.
Another resident, Lam Chi‑tung, 71, who works at a nearby police station, said she received a phone call from her son around 4 p.m. notifying her about the fire. She rushed home only to find her own block and several others already engulfed in flames.
“I’ve lived here for 30 years. Now all I can do is sit and watch,” she said with a heavy sigh, eyes fixed on the burning towers.
Sources: Znews
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