Tai Po housing estate fire in Hong KongCEFR A1
19 Dec 2025
Adapted from Kelly Yu, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Hayley Kee, Unsplash
Level A1 – BeginnerCEFR A1
1 min
59 words
- A large fire burned in the Tai Po estate.
- The blaze spread through many flats and stairwells.
- Many people died in the fire.
- Some residents were trapped by smoke and heat.
- The fire alarm did not warn everyone.
- Rescuers found helpers with their employers.
- Many people lost papers, jobs and belongings.
- Charities and social workers are helping survivors now.
Difficult words
- estate — an area with many homes or buildings
- blaze — a very large and dangerous fire
- stairwell — a vertical space in a building with stairsstairwells
- trap — to stop a person from getting outtrapped
- rescuer — a person who saves others from dangerRescuers
- survivor — a person who lives after a dangerous eventsurvivors
- belonging — personal things that a person ownsbelongings
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you have a fire alarm at home?
- Have you practiced leaving a building by the stairs?
- What would you take first if you had to leave home quickly?
Related articles
23 Dec 2025
15 Nov 2025
When Basic Needs Fail: How Local Shocks Become Wider Emergencies
From close experience in Turkey, the author shows how shortages in food, health and services turn into medical and social crises. Simple support like school meals, cash and cross‑city cooperation can reduce risks and costs.
27 Jul 2025
2 Sept 2025
2 Oct 2025
Glacial Lakes and Flood Risk in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya
The Hindu Kush–Himalaya is losing ice and forming more glacial lakes. These lakes can feed rivers but also cause Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), threatening millions of people, villages and infrastructure in High Mountain Asia.