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This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. What we know so far: 44 people, including a firefighter, have died. Some 279 are still missing Among those hospitalised, 45 are in serious condition The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, sheathed in bamboo scaffolding and green mesh Authorities say the rapid spread of fire was “unusual”, with styrofoam material found in buildings Government will launch investigations, including criminal probes, to find cause of deadly blaze Blazes in three of the...

HONG KONG (AP) — Firefighters battled a blaze at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong for the second day on Thursday, as the death toll rose to 55 in one of the deadliest blazes in the city’s modern history.Thick smoke continued to pour out of the Wang Fuk Court complex, a dense cluster of high-rise towers housing thousands of people in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near the border with the mainland. Flames can still be seen inside the buildings Thursday evening.Hong Kong leader John Lee said contact had been lost with 279 people around midnight Thursday. Rescues...

Los Angles Mayor Karen Bass recently did a little victory dance about the ‘first rebuild’ of a house in the Pacific Palisades after the wildfires. Hey, it has only been almost a year, right? There is one little problem with the house that Bass is celebrating, however. It was a developer project that was in the works before the fires even happened. That’s right, this house wasn’t even one of the average homes destroyed by fires and her incompetence. What a surprise. The New York Post reports: LA Mayor Karen Bass called out for ‘phony’ Palisades rebuild after devastating wildfire...

Pray for search and rescue authorities in Hong Kong today. At least 36 people have died and 279 people are unaccounted for, officials say. Residents remain trapped on higher floors of the buildings. https://t.co/iclSJYO8p1 pic.twitter.com/FtoFH3FyZ5— CNN (@CNN) November 26, 2025Officials said 279 people are 'uncontactable.' Meanwhile, 29 people remain hospitalized, with 7 in critical conditions, officials said. The fire, which tore through bamboo scaffolding ubiquitous in the city, appears to be the most deadly blaze in Hong Kong in nearly three decades. 900 other residents have managed to flee to shelters. Clips of the fire look apocalyptic: BREAKING: At least...

HONG KONG, Nov 26 (Reuters) – A massive fire ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters battled the orange flames into the night as thick black smoke billowed from the 32-story towers, which were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding – whose use the government began phasing out in March for safety reasons – and green construction mesh. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

A rowdy mob pummeled a Queens couple and set a car ablaze when the residents and other locals tried to stop a wild car meet-up in their neighborhood early Sunday, according to the victims and video. The disturbing attack occurred when a bunch of out-of-control drivers descended on South Drive and 141 Street in Malba, doing donuts and speeding over lawns around 12:30 a.m. “When I came out, I said, ‘Bro, you gotta get the f–k off my property,’ and that’s when it all started,” victim Blake Ferrer told The Post. Video shows a group of about a dozen ruffians...

The UN climate talks COP30 have been evacuated due to a fire breaking out inside the venue in Belém, Brazil. BBC journalists saw flames and smoke in the pavilion area before they were rushed outside where fire engines raced past. The UN said the fire was extinguished after six minutes and 13 people were treated for smoke inhalation. It is not yet known what caused the blaze. The talks were in the final hours of trying to agree on next steps to tackle climate change but the fire has disrupted negotiations and the talks remain closed.

A man with a lengthy criminal history is facing a federal terrorism charge after authorities said he set a woman on fire in an unprovoked attack on a CTA Blue Line train Monday night. A 13-page federal criminal complaint was filed Wednesday, charging Lawrence Reed, 50, with a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of life in federal prison, if convicted.

A person was in custody Tuesday after a woman was set on fire while riding a CTA Blue Line in Chicago's Loop the night before. The woman remained in the hospital late Tuesday afternoon. According to Chicago police, the 26-year-old woman got into a quarrel with a 45-year-old man while on a train at the Clark/Lake subway station around 9:25 p.m. Police said the fight escalated when the man poured a liquid on the woman and set her on fire. Sources said the liquid the man poured was gasoline. Police said the woman ran off the train and collapsed on...

Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Michigan are urging residents to beware of unexpected fire hazards after an apartment blaze was found to have an unusual cause: an animal nest inside a kitchen exhaust fan. The Ann Arbor Fire Department said on social media that crews responded to an apartment building on Island Drive on Sunday and found a fire was burning inside the walls.

The Palisades Bowl mobile home park remains debris-covered, nine months after the fire and months after the neighboring park was cleaned FEMA denied cleanup services, arguing it couldn’t trust that the land owners, with a history of attempting to redevelop the park into something more lucrative, would let residents rebuild Former residents are running out of insurance money and aid to pay for temporary housing, still with no clear path home. As local and state leaders celebrate the fastest wildfire debris removal in modern American history, the Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Home Estates — a rent-controlled, 170-unit enclave off Pacific...

Video shows blaze that injured 3 at Edisto Island home of SC judge, former SC senator By Kailey Cota kcota@postandcourier.com and Scott Hamilton shamilton@postandcourier.com EDISTO ISLAND — Sirens blared and orange flames audibly crackled as a thick plume of black smoke streamed out of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein's Edisto Beach home during a fire that blazed on Oct. 4, video shows. The home, located off Planters Retreat in the Jeremy Cay Community, is partially surrounded by trees and a marshy area of Edisto Island. That made it particularly difficult to rescue Goodstein’s husband, a former state senator, after he...

The California FAIR Plan, the state’s home insurer of last resort, is seeking an average 35.8% rate hike, its largest in years, following billions of dollars of losses incurred in the January fire storms.The Los Angeles-based insurance pool, operated and backed by the state’s licensed home insurers, filed this week for the dwelling policy rate hike, which must be reviewed and could be reduced by the state insurance commissioner.“By statute, FAIR Plan rates must be sufficient to pay anticipated claims and expenses,” said FAIR Plan spokesperson Hilary McLean in a statement. “The FAIR Plan is working closely with the California...

PHOENIX – A massive fire at a Southern California oil refinery is bad news for Arizona drivers, who could see gas prices soar well over $4 per gallon.

The blast took place just outside of the bustling LAX airport and was seen for miles across Los Angeles after it ignited at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, police said. Firefighters arrived to the scene at around 9:35pm local time, several minutes after people in surrounding areas reported hearing a loud blast.

LOS ANGELES - A massive fire erupted Thursday night at a refinery in Southern California. Firefighters were dispatched around 9:35 p.m. to the Chevron refinery in El Segundo after receiving calls of smoke in the area. Images from SkyFOX show large flames shooting through the refinery. Several people said they heard a loud bang, saying it felt like an earthquake or sounded like a plane crash since the refinery is near LAX. ***snip***The history behind Chevron's refinery Dig deeper: The refinery spans two-square-miles, supplying more than 40% of jet fuel and more than 20% of motor vehicle fuel across all...

A Texas congressional staffer doused herself in gasoline before she caught fire and died, investigators said. Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, was found engulfed in flames at her Uvalde home on September 13. She was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center but died from her injuries the next morning. Santos-Aviles served as the regional district director for Republican US Representative Tony Gonzales since 2021. Police officers said she had 'doused herself in gasoline and was ignited into flames The Department of Public Safety determined she was alone at the time of the blaze after reviewing home surveillance video. Uvalde Police Chief Homer...

Police are probing the death of a congressional staffer who was found on fire at her home in Texas. Regina Santos-Aviles, 35, was discovered by her mother, who called emergency crews to the Uvalde residence on the evening of September 13. She was taken to Brooke Army Medical Center but died from her injuries the next morning, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. Santos-Aviles, remembered by friends and family as a 'devoted mother' to her eight-year-old son, had served as the regional district director for Republican US Representative Tony Gonzales since 2021. Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado said...

President Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his attacks on Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., asserting that the governor was nearing completion on a plan to build low-income housing in an LA suburb ravaged by wildfires. "Shockingly, I have just learned, that Gavin Newscum, the Governor of California, is in final stages of approval to build Low Income Housing in Pacific Palisades," he posted on Truth Social. "How unfair is that to the people that have suffered so much! Newscum allowed their houses to burn by not accepting Hundreds of Millions of Gallons of Water from the Pacific Northwest, and now, the...

First responders and public employees in several cities have become the subject of investigations or have been placed on leave over social media posts reacting to the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at a Utah Valley University event. Authorities say a single shot was fired from a rooftop before the gunman escaped. The suspect in Kirk’s death was taken into custody on Sept. 12. Nashville Fire Department In Nashville, Tenn., WSMV reported the fire department put an employee on paid administrative leave after...