A catastrophic fire has ravaged a public housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, claiming at least 75 lives and marking the city's most devastating blaze in over 70 years. The inferno erupted at Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday afternoon, rapidly engulfing seven of the estate’s eight residential towers, which were shrouded in bamboo scaffolding and protective netting for renovations. After burning for more than 24 hours, the fire is now largely under control, but the aftermath reveals a tragedy of immense scale, with 76 injured and hundreds initially unaccounted for. The conflagration's unprecedented spread across multiple high-rise structures is a central focus of the investigation. Authorities point to the highly combustible renovation materials—plastic mesh sheets and polystyrene foam—wrapped around the buildings as a primary catalyst. The perilous conditions, including intense heat and collapsing scaffolding, severely hampered rescue efforts, leading to the death of 37-year-old Firefighter Ho Wai-ho and injuries to ten of his colleagues. Despite these challenges, emergency crews, deploying 128 fire engines and nearly 800 personnel, managed to rescue 55 people. In a swift official response, police arrested three individuals connected to the maintenance contractor, Prestige Construction and Engineering Company. A senior police superintendent, Eileen Chung, articulated the gravity of the allegations, stating that the company’s responsible parties are suspected of "grossly negligent" action, which allegedly led to the fire's uncontrollable spread and the resulting mass casualties. Concurrently, Chief Executive John Lee announced immediate inspections of all estates undergoing similar renovations and plans to phase out bamboo scaffolding. Anguish and fury permeate the displaced community, with resident accounts contradicting official safety protocols. Multiple survivors reported that fire alarms were silent during the initial outbreak. Lawrence Lee recounted his wife’s harrowing ordeal: "Once she left the flat, the corridor and stairs were all filled with smoke, and it was all dark, so she had no choice but to go back to the flat." Such testimonies have amplified pre-existing resident concerns about the renovation plans and their compliance with fire regulations. As the Independent Commission Against Corruption launches its own probe, the disaster has exposed critical vulnerabilities in urban safety. For the over 900 survivors in temporary shelters and a city in mourning, the Wang Fuk Court fire stands as a sombre testament to the deadly consequences of alleged negligence.