Live Reporting

Edited by Kelly Ng, with Koey Lee and Danny Vincent in Hong Kong

1. Smell of smoke surrounds burning estatepublished at 03:53 GMT

   Danny Vincent
   BBC News, reporting from Tai Po

   Image source, BBC/Danny Vincent

   Hong Kong authorities say the fires in four of the buildings have been brought under control, but large plumes of smoke are still hanging over the residential estate.

   I can smell it in the air. I can also see a number of small fires still burning in the apartment blocks.

   Even more fire engines and an ambulance have arrived this morning to help with rescue efforts.

2. ‘This was preventable’published at 03:33 GMT

   Koh Ewe
   Live reporter

   For more than a year, the windows of Kiko Ma’s apartment in Wang Fuk Court have been sealed as part of renovation works.

   Residents sometimes found cigarette butts near the windows, which they suspect are left behind by construction workers, she tells the BBC.

   “People kept asking what would happen if there was a fire. Everyone was very worried about this,” said Ms Ma. The 33-year-old lives in Canada but visits her Hong Kong apartment several times a year.

   Some fire alarms at Wang Fuk Court have been turned off during renovation, she added, as construction workers regularly used fire escapes to go in and out of the building.

   In the hours since the fire broke out, a group chat made up of residents and homeowners has been flooded with messages from people whose families are still missing.

   “This was preventable. This was not an accident. A lot of people did not do their duties,” Ms Ma says.

3. City suspends campaigning for legislative pollspublished at 03:19 GMT

   Image source, Getty Images

   Hong Kong has suspended all campaigning ahead of the Legislative Council election on 7 December to prioritise relief efforts.

   “The top priority is to put out the fire and rescue trapped residents. The second task is to treat the wounded, the third is to handle the aftermath, and then we’ll undergo a comprehensive investigation,” the city’s chief executive John Lee told reporters at an early morning briefing, according to Radio Television Hong Kong.

   Lee would not be drawn on whether the election could be delayed due to the fire.

   The upcoming election is the second since China made sweeping and controversial changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system, widely seen as part of Beijing’s plan to tighten control over the city.

4. From the scene: Rescue ongoing as buildings continue to burnpublished at 03:01 GMT

   Here are the latest photos we’re getting from Tai Po, where rescue and relief efforts are still ongoing. Some 900 residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters. Hundreds more are still unaccounted for.

   Image source, BBC/Koey Lee

   Image source, Getty Images

   Image source, BBC/Koey Lee

   Image source, Getty Images

5. US and UK send condolencespublished at 02:47 GMT

   Condolences are pouring in from beyond the city.

   The US Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau said it is “deeply saddened by the tragic fire”.

   “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this devastating fire. We extend our heartfelt condolences during this time of profound loss,” it wrote in a statement on X., external

   The British Consulate General said it is standing with the people of Hong Kong “honouring the strength of the community, and all those responding during this difficult time.”

   “At this moment, let us all pray for Hong Kong together,” Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te wrote on X, external, adding that he hoped “the missing can be safely found as soon as possible”.

6. Residents return to the disaster sitepublished at 02:14 GMT

   Koey Lee
   BBC News Chinese, Hong Kong

   Image source, Koey Lee/BBC

   It’s morning here in Hong Kong, and residents who spent the night at the homes of friends or relatives are returning to the scene of the fire to assess the damage.

   Community halls have been stocked with relief supplies, providing food and water for displaced residents.

   Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the tower blocks as a result of the fire.

7. ‘I would only be at peace when the fire calmed down’published at 02:00 GMT

   Koey Lee
   BBC News Chinese, Hong Kong

   An 82-year-old woman surnamed Wu, who was sitting on a platform outside Kwong Fuk Estate watching the burning building, told BBC Chinese yesterday that she had been playing mahjong with her friends.

   But suddenly her friends received calls from their husbands, saying there was a fire. They took the lift down to the street. Her friends went to a hotel, but the woman – who has lived here for 42 years – refused to leave.

   “I stayed here to watch what was going on. I told my son I would only be at peace when the fire calmed down.”

8. Firefighters battle the blaze – in picturespublished at 01:24 GMT

   New images are coming through which show firefighters spraying water on the blackened towers as they try to contain the flames.

   Remnants of the bamboo scaffolding and the green mesh that encased some of the buildings are also visible. The materials may have allowed the fire to spread more quickly, officials have said.

   Image source, AFP via Getty Images

   Image source, AFP via Getty Images

   Image source, AFP via Getty Images

9. Schools near blaze suspend classespublished at 01:13 GMT

   Thirteen schools will suspend classes today due to the ongoing firefighting operation affecting traffic, the Hong Kong education bureau has said.

   A spokesman also says educational psychologists have been sent to the temporary shelters nearby to offer appropriate support for affected students.

10. Dawn reveals scale of devastationpublished at 00:35 GMT

    Drone footage shows the scene this morning at the site, where smoke continues to billow from the towers and firefighters battle to try to contain the blaze.

11. If you’re just joining uspublished at 23:56 GMT 26 November

    Image source, Reuters

    It’s approaching 08:00 in Hong Kong (00:00 GMT), and the scale of the tragedy is still emerging after a major fire engulfed apartment blocks in the city’s Tai Po district. If you’re just joining us, here is what we know so far:

    • At least 44 people have died, while 45 people are in a critical condition. A further 279 people are not accounted for
    • Three people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter – two are directors of a construction firm and one is an engineering consultant

    • While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, police say mesh and plastic sheets were found on windows at the buildings, which were undergoing renovations. Police say these materials may have allowed the fire to spread more quickly
    • This morning, smoke is still billowing from some of the tower blocks – but the fire is under control in four of the eight buildings

    • The fire department expects it to take the entire day to contain the fire
    • Hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters and emergency housing units are being allocated to people needing relocation
    • The Hong Kong fire department has classified the blaze as a level five alarm – the most severe. It has been 17 years since a level five fire last hit Hong Kong

12. Police give details on the suspects arrestedpublished at 23:16 GMT 26 November

    Police have just given more information about the suspects who have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

    The three men, aged between 52 and 68, are from a construction firm – two are directors and one is an engineering consultant.

    Police have said they found mesh and protective material on the outside of the buildings that don’t seem to be fireproof, as well as Styrofoam on the building’s windows.

    The police spokesperson said: “We have reason to believe that those in charge at the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties.”

    The cause of the fire is still unknown.

13. Three construction company executives arrestedpublished at 22:26 GMT 26 November

    We have more details on the three arrests that we reported a little earlier.

    Two directors and a consultant of a construction company were arrested by police for being “grossly negligent”. The complex was undergoing extensive renovations when the fire began.

    Police said they found polystyrene boards blocking windows at the site and suspect they, along with substandard construction materials, may have allowed the fire to spread so quickly.

14. Dangerous conditions hampering efforts to put out firepublished at 22:08 GMT 26 November

    Some more from the press conference now, where the fire representatives are asked why it’s taking so long to put out the fire.

    They say operating at night poses additional dangers to crews, which has slowed progress.

    The temperatures inside the buildings have also remained very high, making it difficult to work on the upper floors, the fire department’s deputy director Derek Armstrong Chan said.

    He adds that they are expecting it to take the entire day before the operation to contain the fire is complete, but the fire is under control in four of the eight buildings.

15. Death toll rises to 44published at 22:05 GMT 26 November

    The press conference from the Hong Kong authorities has just started and they began by announcing that 44 people are now known to have died in the fire.

    According to officials, 40 died at the scene and four more in hospital.

    They also say that there are 45 people in critical condition.

    Stick with us, and we’ll bring you more from the briefing as soon as we have it.

16. Tai Po fire has been burning for 15 hourspublished at 21:46 GMT 26 November

    Image source, Reuters

    It’s just gone 05:40 in the morning in Hong Kong, and we can see that parts of the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex still have flames burning.

    The Fire Services Department received reports at 14:51 yesterday afternoon that the fire had broken out, and since then around 800 emergency service workers have been deployed to tackle the emergency.

    The most recent update confirmed that 36 people had died in the fire, but with 279 people unaccounted for, the fears are that the fatalities could rise.

    There are also seven people in critical condition among the 29 people receiving hospital treatment, according to officials when we were last updated.

    Since then, local media reports have cited police sources as saying that three people had been arrested in connection with the fire.

    The Hong Kong authorities earlier stated that the speed of the fire’s spread was “unusual,” and police and housing bodies were launching investigations into the disaster.

17. Line-up for expected news conferencepublished at 21:06 GMT 26 November

    There appears to be a delay in the news conference we were expecting to start a few minutes ago – but while we wait let us bring you the speakers we understand will be taking part:

    • Derek Armstrong Chan – Deputy director of fire services, Hong Kong Fire Services Department
    • Kwok Kin Man – Assistant director of Hong Kong Fire Services Department Ambulance Command
    • Eileen Chung – Senior Superintendent of Police, Hong Kong Police Force New Territories North Regional Headquarters
    • Lam Hiu Fai – Senior Inspector (Support) of Traffic Division, New Territories North Region

    Hopefully the briefing will get under way shortly.

18. Three arrested in connection with fire, reports saypublished at 20:55 GMT 26 November

    Hong Kong police have arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire at the housing complex in Tai Po, according to media reports citing officials.

    We’re awaiting more details from the upcoming news conference.

19. Hong Kong police to hold news conferencepublished at 20:47 GMT 26 November

    Hong Kong police will soon hold a news conference concerning developments in the investigation into the fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po.

    We’ll bring you the latest as it happens.

20. A look into Hong Kong’s history with bamboo scaffoldingpublished at 20:02 GMT 26 November

    Image source, Reuters

    As we’ve been reporting, the tower blocks at Wang Fuk Court were covered in bamboo scaffolding and green construction netting, right up to the rooftops, because they are undergoing renovations.

    Such scaffolding has been used in Hong Kong for centuries, as bamboo grows quickly, and is lightweight and very strong. Many see it as an iconic part of the city’s urban landscape but Hong Kong is one of the world’s last remaining cities to use it in modern construction.

    Local media reports in March said the government’s development bureau had been trying to phase out the use of bamboo because of safety concerns. The push towards using metal instead of bamboo came after a spate of scaffolding-related deaths in Hong Kong.

    Bamboo scaffolds have “intrinsic weaknesses such as variation in mechanical properties, deterioration over time and high combustibility, etc, giving rise to safety concerns”, bureau spokesperson Terence Lam was quoted as saying.

    An investigation into the causes of the fire has been launched. Authorities note that it seems to have spread quickly – and to neighbouring buildings – through the bamboo scaffolding.