Canadians from Hong Kong were horrified by the fire that ravaged seven towers in the Chinese special administrative region, leaving dozens dead and hundreds missing.
Albert Wai Yip Chan, a Vancouver resident and former member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, said the risk of fire in the city’s tall buildings has always been a concern, especially when many of them lack sprinkler systems.
He watched online videos of the fire in his hometown, which showed large flames and thick smoke engulfing buildings.
Smoke rises after a fire broke out on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, in Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po District, New Territories, Hong Kong.
AP Photo/Chan is Heiy
“I hope the injured people can recover quickly,” Chan said. “It’s a tragedy.”
“We hope that the government can improve its property management policy. Otherwise, I think this type of problem will continue to recur.”
Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread to a residential complex in Tai Po district, leaving at least 44 dead and around 280 missing.
The fire, which broke out mid-afternoon Wednesday, was upgraded to Level 5 – the highest severity level locally – and authorities said conditions remained very difficult for firefighters.
Global Affairs estimates that there are approximately 300,000 Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, making it the largest Canadian diaspora outside the United States.
Global Affairs Canada did not respond to a request for comment on whether any Canadians died in the fire.
Derek Armstrong Chan, the fire department’s deputy director of operations, told a news conference that debris and scaffolding from the affected buildings were falling, posing additional danger to frontline staff.
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“In addition, the temperature inside the affected buildings is very high,” Chan said. “It is quite difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to carry out firefighting and rescue operations. »
Chan said the fire could be one of the deadliest in Hong Kong’s history, bringing back memories of the Garley Building fire in 1996, which killed 41 people and injured about 81.
Aiken Lau, a former Hong Kong banker and now resident of Coquitlam, British Columbia, said he remembers crying as a teenager over the Garley Building fire, and the same feelings reappearing 29 years later.
Flames engulfed a building after a fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po District, New Territories, Hong Kong, Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
AP Photo/Chan is Heiy
Firefighters try to extinguish flames engulfing a building after a fire broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po District, New Territories, Hong Kong, Wednesday, November 26, 2025.
AP Photo/Chan is Heiy
“I was heartbroken when I first saw the news,” Lau said. “Even though I have been away from Hong Kong for more than 20 years, I still have very strong feelings for this city and I hate to see people suffering there.
“I hope the missing people can be found as soon as possible.”
Authorities said the Tai Po fire broke out on Wednesday in an exterior bamboo scaffolding of a 32-story tower and then spread due to wind.
Lau said there were many questions about the cause and how the deadly flames could have moved so quickly.
Conservative MP for Richmond Centre—Marpole Chak Au also took to social media to express his sadness, saying his heart was with Hong Kong.
Au, who worked as an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong before immigrating to Canada in 1988, said in an interview that the news hit him.
Au’s son is a firefighter with the city of Richmond, and the former city councilor also said the location of the Hong Kong fire, in Tai Po district, was close to his former workplace.
“The Tai Po area is just a few stops from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, my former workplace, and it is a very densely populated city,” Au said.
“My deepest condolences to all those who lost loved ones – including the firefighter who died in the line of duty – and my thoughts are with the injured and the many families who are still waiting for news of the missing,” he added. “I also pray that more survivors can be rescued. »
John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said the situation there was gradually being brought under control and a “comprehensive investigation” had been launched.
Several local media outlets reported that police had arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire.
Lau said all he hoped was for the death toll to stop climbing.
“When I explored the history of deadly fires in Hong Kong, the Sham Shui Po fire in 1962 was the worst, which killed 44 people and left hundreds homeless, but I wasn’t born at that time and didn’t know much about it,” Lau said.
“I am extremely concerned that the latest fire could break the record from 1962. It is devastating.”
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with files from The Associated Press
© 2025 The Canadian Press
