The death toll from the deadly blaze in Tai Po has soared to at least 128, as authorities believed "highly flammable" styrofoam boards attached to the windows of the buildings fuelled the spread of the fire.

A total of 124 bodies were discovered at the scene at Wang Fuk Court, officials said on Friday, while 200 others were in "unclear situations" -- including 89 of the bodies that have not been identified.

Seventy-nine others were injured.

Search-and-rescue operation at the fire-ravaged housing estate – where seven of eight blocks had been engulfed in flames – was completed at 10.18am, according to emergency personnel.

But authorities did not rule out the possibility of finding more bodies.

Security minister Chris Tang said the mesh netting covering the buildings had met fire retardant standards, but the styrofoam boards used to seal windows were found to be "highly flammable".

He said the styrofoam boards were believed to have spread the flames after the netting near the lower floors of Wang Cheong House first caught fire.

"According to our initial probe, we believe the temperature of the ignited styrofoam boards was very high, which caused the scaffolding mesh, bamboo and other items to catch on fire.

It also caused glass to shatter, allowing the blaze to spread indoors and set items on fire," Tang said.

"While the mesh nettings met fire retardant requirements, they could still be set ablaze under high temperature."

Fire chief Andy Yeung said officers discovered faulty fire alarms in all eight residential buildings.

"The fire alarms were not turned off, but they did not sound during our tests," Yeung said.

"We would take law enforcement actions against contractors of such fire safety equipment."

Police investigations are expected to take around three to four weeks, according to acting commissioner Andrew Kan, with officers aiming to reopen the buildings to affected residents once they have finished collecting evidence inside.

Kan said officers would have to wait for the buildings to cool down before entering to conduct follow-up work, noting that the temperature in some areas remains over 200 degrees Celsius.
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Last updated: 2025-11-28 HKT 16:48