Hong Kong’s Wong Fuk Skyscrapers May Have Just Torched the Official WTC 7 Narrative

For almost a full day, the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district burned out of control. The eight-tower estate, home to around 2,000 apartments and built in the 1980s, was undergoing renovations at the time, wrapped in highly flammable bamboo scaffolding and green netting that fueled the rapid spread of flames. The blaze erupted around 2:50 p.m. on November 26, 2025, starting on the external scaffolding of one 32-story block and quickly leaping to adjacent towers amid gusty winds. At this point, some investigators believe the fire was caused by a welding accident during the construction work. Once it ignited, the blaze raced vertically through open construction voids and horizontally between buildings, producing temperatures that melted glass and turned structural elements red-hot. By hour 20, the towers were glowing skeletons, with thick smoke billowing from upper floors. But at no point did they collapse, not even partially, despite the inferno engulfing seven of the eight blocks.

The disaster has claimed at least 83 lives so far, with hundreds more reported missing as rescue operations continue amid collapsed scaffolding and intense heat that hampered efforts. Over 800 firefighters, backed by 128 fire engines and 57 ambulances, battled the flames for more than 24 hours, finally containing most of the blaze by early November 27. One firefighter perished in the line of duty, and at least 70 others, including residents, suffered injuries from burns and smoke inhalation. A 71-year-old resident named Wong was photographed in tears outside the complex, pleading that his wife remained trapped inside. In a rare glimmer of hope, rescuers pulled a male survivor from the 16th floor of one tower late on November 27. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has pledged comprehensive support, including a “one social worker per household” initiative for displaced residents now sheltering in nearby malls and community centers. Three executives from the construction firm overseeing the renovations were arrested on charges of gross negligence, as authorities probe why evacuation protocols faltered and why the highly combustible bamboo—despite government plans to phase it out in favor of fire-resistant metal—was still in use.

Compare that to World Trade Center Building 7 on September 11, 2001. A 47-story steel-framed skyscraper, never struck by an aircraft, WTC 7 fell at 5:20 p.m. in 6.5 seconds, roughly 2.25 seconds of that in pure gravitational free-fall, after roughly seven hours of localized office fires. The official NIST report concluded that fire alone caused the complete, symmetrical progressive collapse, the first and only time in history a steel-framed high-rise has fallen solely from fire.