Devastating Hong Kong Fire: The Heartbreaking Story Behind the Iconic Photograph of Grief and Loss

Dec 03, 2025 04:34 pm CST

The tragic Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong claimed at least 156 lives and left 30 missing, including the wife of a 71-year-old retiree whose anguish was captured in an iconic Reuters photograph. The devastating blaze, attributed to substandard renovation materials, spread rapidly through seven high-rise towers housing over 4,000 residents, becoming Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948.