Tai Po housing estate fire in Hong KongCEFR B1
19 Dec 2025
Adapted from Kelly Yu, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Hayley Kee, Unsplash
On 26 November a large fire tore through the Tai Po housing estate in Hong Kong, destroying seven of its eight residential blocks. At least 160 people died and six remain missing. Ten of the dead were migrant domestic workers, nine Indonesian and one Filipino.
Investigators say foam boards and substandard scaffolding nets used in a long-running renovation helped the blaze spread quickly. Rescuers described chaos as alarms failed and smoke filled stairwells. Some helpers were found still caring for their employers; one woman who embraced her elderly employer was later confirmed dead.
Humanitarian groups and social workers are assisting survivors. Johannie Tong said around 90 domestic workers are receiving help. The government announced about HKD 800,000 in total compensation per family. Some survivors now face housing and legal problems after their contracts ended, and advocates seek more flexible treatment from the Labour Department.
Difficult words
- housing estate — group of apartment buildings in one area
- blaze — large, dangerous fire that spreads quickly
- migrant domestic worker — person from another country who works in homesmigrant domestic workers
- scaffolding net — protective mesh on building scaffoldingscaffolding nets
- survivor — person who lived through a dangerous eventsurvivors
- compensation — money given to people for loss or damage
- advocate — person who supports or argues for someoneadvocates
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could building renovations be made safer to prevent fires like this one?
- What housing and legal problems might survivors face after their contracts ended? Give two examples.
- Do you think charities and the government should provide more help to survivors? Why or why not?
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