At least four people were killed and eight injured in a large fire in a housing estate in Tai Po district, northern Thailand, where flames spread through bamboo scaffolding installed on a block.
The Police, cited by the local press, indicated that in addition to the victims there are people trapped inside the three buildings affected by the fire, while the authorities raised the level of the fire to 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 due to its rapid evolution.
A dense column of smoke and the collapse of parts of the scaffolding can be seen in images broadcast on social networks and local media, while several nearby roads were closed to traffic.
The fire, which started on multi-story exterior scaffolding, was initially classified as a level 1 alarm, but quickly escalated to level 4 at 3:34 p.m. local time (seven hours ahead of Madrid).
The fire has drawn numerous people to the area, with some residents covering their faces to avoid inhaling the thick smoke, as they survey the damage to their homes.
The director of Fire Services, Andy Yeung Yan-kin, was heading to the Prince of Wales Hospital to follow the case of a firefighter injured at the scene, according to sources consulted by the South China Morning Post.
Later, it was confirmed that this firefighter was one of the four deceased, along with three residents, in a provisional assessment at 5:00 p.m. local time.
Since Monday, the Hong Kong Observatory maintained a red fire danger alert, which warns of an extremely high risk of forest or urban fires, based on factors such as humidity, wind speed and dryness of the vegetation.
Wang Fuk Court, the complex where the accident occurred, is undergoing a renovation process worth 330 million Hong Kong dollars (42 million dollars, 36.6 million euros), a proposal that generated discontent among many residents last year. The complex has 1,984 homes, housing approximately 4,000 residents.
The fire has also impacted the surrounding area: Tai Po Baptist Public School, a nearby primary school, has advised parents to avoid the area due to the fire.
Smoke rises as flames engulf bamboo scaffolding on several buildings at the Wang Fuk Court complex in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, Nov. 26, 2025.
A recent precedent
This event is part of a series of fires related to scaffolding in Hong Kong, which have exposed vulnerabilities in construction and urban renewal structures.
Last October, a fire in the exterior scaffolding of the Chinachem Tower forced the evacuation of dozens of people and left four hospitalized.
Authorities from the Department of Buildings then confirmed the structural integrity of the property, although they identified loose materials on the façade that required immediate removal.
Renovation work on the tower, which included minor repairs to exterior walls and air conditioning supports, used standard protective covers, nets and tarps, but the fire was limited to the façade without affecting the interior.
On that occasion, experts pointed to welding sparks at construction sites or abandoned cigarette butts as possible origins of the incident.
These episodes highlight recurring concerns about the safety of bamboo scaffolding – common in Hong Kong for its lightness and low cost – often linked to renovation activities, flammable materials or external ignition sources, in a context of high urban density and drought-prone climate conditions.
