香港警方和消防部门27日凌晨召开记者会宣布，大埔屋邨宏福苑火灾目前已造成44人遇难，45人受伤。警方已拘捕3名涉嫌误杀的男子（此前报道）。
Three men were arrested for suspected manslaughter in a fire that broke out in Wang Fuk Court, a residential area in Tai Po of Hong Kong, on Wednesday afternoon, the Hong Kong Police Force said at a press briefing on Thursday.
The fire had left 44 dead and 45 injured by early Thursday morning.
香港警方展开调查，发现建筑物外墙有保护网、防水帆布、塑料布，疑未符合防火标准，另有一座未波及的大厦每层电梯大堂窗外都有发泡胶包封，易燃且可能加速火势蔓延，不排除发泡胶是迅速蔓延的原因。
Police say that in the building not affected by the blaze, every floor had protective nets, waterproof tarpaulin and plastic cloths. These materials may have failed to meet fire safety standards.
On each floor, styrofoam materials were used to seal windows, which could cause the rapid spread of fire.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung says preliminary investigations found that the rapid spread of the fire was suspicious, with the use of styrofoam to seal windows exacerbating the situation.
"We have found that on the relevant building walls, the netting and waterproof tarpaulin material, once burned, showed spreading of the flames faster than [they should on] regulated materials. This is unusual," Tang says.
He adds that police and fire service officers will jointly investigate, including a criminal probe, the cause of the fire and abnormalities discovered.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong. The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but it was fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding.
