Newsroom, November 10, 2025: The fire that ripped through a 16-story residential building in Hong Kong's Yau Ma Tei district on November 9 has claimed 44 lives, with rescuers pulling charred remains from the charred husk of the structure, marking one of the city's deadliest blazes in decades.
The inferno, sparked by a short circuit in a 12th-floor unit, spread rapidly through the 1960s-era tower's narrow corridors, trapping families in smoke-filled stairwells and balconies as flames leapt floor to floor within minutes.
Over 100 firefighters battled the flames for hours, but the toll initially 20 surged as the search continued into Monday, with 16 people still missing and 50 injured, many with severe burns.
Authorities have arrested three men on manslaughter charges a 58-year-old building manager and two electricians who allegedly ignored repeated complaints about faulty wiring and overloaded circuits in the ageing complex, home to 300 residents in cramped 200-square-foot units.
