Name: Hong Kong death toll rises to 128 as officials say fire alarms not working properly | BBC News
Uploaded: 2025-11-28T16:59:25.000Z
Duration: 8 min 55 s
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The superlative

It's now known that more than that, more than at least 128 people have died in Hong Kong's worst fire in decades.

Basic quantifiers

Gerund

Officials say fire alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively and the blaze started from a lower level and moved up the buildings.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

The police say they will start entering the complex today to begin gathering evidence and that an investigation will be carried out over the next few weeks.

The entire estate had been undergoing renovations and was wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh.

Well, for the very latest, we can speak now to our correspondent Martin Yip who is at the scene.

That death toll and the number missing continuing to rise.

Just bring us up to date with a very latest on the search and rescue operation.

Yes, so the security secretary, Chris Tang have given a press conference not so long ago and he said that now the fire is out, but

that still, it still takes time to kind of tidy up the place for in terms of temperature is still a very hot scene.

So police investigation investigators might not be able to go in until maybe another few hours.

But just before I come to this corner, there were a busload of people dressed in protective gears, just like what you would have seen during the COVID 19 days at hospitals.

So likely they are forensic experts who are coming to start gathering evidence here.

And Chris Tan did say that they are expecting to find possibly more remains of those who have disease as they move into.

I'm just in another corner of the fireside.

This is Kwong Folk Estate just next to it.

And back at my back, this white building is Kwong Folk Community hall where identification of those who have died is being organized.

Right here they are using albums for those who might have lost their loved ones to come and see if they have indeed lost someone who they love.

Martin, I mean the, the reports coming from the search and rescue team suggests that the conditions are extremely difficult still in the buildings that even where the fires have been put out, temperatures can be up to sort of 200 degrees Celsius.

So incredibly difficult to, to find anybody that might have survived.

And that's why just to get investigators in may take another hours.

And the fire service is still working on it.

And the next phase would, could well be, would definitely be the investigation that might take three to four weeks.

And beside of that, the very Fact of the temperature have left firefighters possibly with without much choice but to leave some of the disease behind for now.

There are, at least, according to Chris Tang, some 16 people who have died are still inside the building and they can't move their remains just yet.

So it would really take times, take time to make further progress in terms of recovery rather than rescue.

And just bring us right up to date with the investigation into what might have started this fire or at least what might have led it to spread so quickly.

Yes, Chris Tang again, the Secretary for Security, did say that they now believe is the green smash that used to cover the bamboo scaffolding that that first caught fire, that it spread it to a point where it reached some firms being used to cover the windows of the residential apartments.

From there, some bamboo burned to the point that it broke up and then fell into some other apartments called causing the fire to spread further.

But when it comes to the question of what has actually.

What actually ignited the whole thing, Christine is holding off from confirming anything.

There are reports chasing on whether it's because of construction workers leaving burning secret butts behind, which we saw video circulating on the Internet, but

he's not confirming that and he insists the investigation is still going on.

Okay, Martin Yip for the moment, thank you.

Just to make sure we're fully updated with the situation from Hong Kong.

But joining me now is Professor Ho Wing Yip, senior electrical and Building Services Engineer from Hong Kong.

Thank you for talking to us here on BBC News.

We heard some detail there from Martin about theories into why the fire spread so quickly.

What do you look at with your expert eye and see as possible reasons why this devastating fire took hold?

First of all, I would like to express my personal feeling that I'm really shocked and saddened by the news.

As the number of deaths is still increasing, I worry that the ultimate number, eventually the number will well exceed 100, even 400.

Okay, going back to the reasons of the fire, I think first of all, the using over the home board to cover the window is the, I think the most major reason.

And with the ignition of the home board, the fire have then, I think, ignited the protective net outside the scaffold.

And ultimately the bamboo scaffold may have added some, you know, burning fuel to the fire.

But I want to go back to one very fundamental thing.

If fire occurred, if people were alerted of the fire, they should run away from the building.

But I was given to understand that and I've heard the problems that the fire alarm system didn't work.

If the fire alarm system has been shut down purposely, that would be really, really sad or even a criminal act.

As the purposes of the fire alarm is not only to trick the fire alarm alerted people to go away, but

it has to trigger the operation of fire pump.

There was a press conference given this morning which as you say, suggested that the fire alarms were not working properly in the buildings.

We've been looking at the pictures of them and they were being refurbished these, these tower blocks, the eight tower blocks.

And you've spoken there about the Styrofoam, which is also being looked at as to whether it could have contributed to the spread of the fire so quickly.

But I would like to correct that not all eight buildings have been affected.

Only seven out of these eight buildings have been affected.

Yes, I think that has contributed to the spread of fire.

As if they, if they are not of fire retarded materials.

Fire will start and propagate easily from the bottom of the building up to the top of the building.

And with the flying ash from one building, they will be blowed by wind to another building and has become the sources of fire of another building.

But we appreciate your expertise this morning, Professor Ho Wing, Senior Electrical and Building Services engineer.

You can continue to follow this story on the BBC news website and app.

We have a live page with all the latest developments, with everything that we know so far and of course the latest analysis from Hong Kong.