(開放試讀) 香港「宏福苑」大火國際報導：blaze、engulf、manslaughter 關鍵字解析

香港大埔住宅區「宏福苑」近日發生近年最嚴重的高樓火警，釀成至少 44 人罹難、數百人失蹤。

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　　在關注這起令人遺憾的事故之餘，閱讀國際媒體的報導能幫助我們從不同視角理解事件全貌，特別是關於災難肇因與法律責任的描述。本文整理了報導中出現的重要關鍵詞，如「blaze（烈火）」、「engulf（吞噬）」、「manslaughter（過失致死）」與「negligence（疏忽）」等，帶您深入閱讀這則新聞，並了解相關的社會議題。

Thu, Nov 27, 2025 page5

At least 44 dead, hundreds missing in Hong Kong as blaze engulfs apartment buildings
By Fion Khan / Staff writer, with agencies

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Firefighters battled one of Hong Kong’s deadliest modern blazes for a second day today, fighting to control a fire that blackened several high-rise towers and killed at least 44 people, with hundreds still missing.

Three men from a construction company this morning were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Thick smoke still poured out of the Wang Fuk Court (宏福苑) complex, which houses thousands, in Tai Po (大埔) district, a northern suburb near the border with the Chinese mainland, this morning.

重點單字 / 用法：

 1  blaze (n./v.) 熊熊烈火；燃燒
＊ 常見搭配：a blaze breaks out / firefighters battle the blaze。

• Firefighters battled a massive blaze downtown.
  （消防員奮力撲滅市中心的大火。）

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 2  engulf (v.) 吞噬；席捲
＊ 表示火焰、洪水或情緒全面包圍某物。

• The flames engulfed the entire building within minutes.
  （火焰在幾分鐘內吞噬整棟大樓。）

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 3  battle (v.) 奮力對抗；搏鬥
＊ 常考用法：battle against / to V（努力對抗／為了…奮戰）

• Firefighters battled to contain the blaze.
  （消防員奮力控制火勢。

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 4  on suspicion of ... 因涉嫌...
＊常搭配 arrested on suspicion of theft / fraud / manslaughter。

• Three men were arrested on suspicion of fraud.
  （三名男子因涉嫌詐欺被捕。）

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 5  manslaughter (n.) 過失致死罪
＊區別於 murder（謀殺），指非故意致人死亡。

• He was charged with manslaughter after the fatal accident.
  （他因該致命意外被控過失致死。）

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 6  pour out (v.)    湧出；冒出
＊常用於煙、群眾、情緒等大量流出。

• Smoke poured out of the windows.
  （濃煙從窗戶中不斷湧出。）

 

The fire that started midafternoon yesterday had spread across seven of the complex’s eight buildings, and four of the towers were under control by morning, the city’s fire services said.

About 900 people were evacuated to temporary shelters overnight, with another 279 people reported missing last night.

As of 11am, 66 people remained in hospital, with 15 in critical condition and 25 in serious condition, many suffering from burn and inhalation injuries, local media HK01 reported.

 

As of 11am, 66 people remained in hospital, with 15 in critical condition and 25 in serious condition, many suffering from burn and inhalation injuries, local media HK01 reported.

Three of the eight buildings in the housing complex are under control, while four were still on fire, Fire services director Andy Yeung (楊恩健) told reporters at a press conference last night.

The fire department dispatched 888 firefighters to the scene, Yeung said.

A firefighter was among those killed, he said earlier yesterday.

 

He was identified as 37-year-old Ho Wai-ho (何偉豪), who was attached to the Sha Tin Fire Station, local public broadcaster RTHK reported.

Yeung said Ho was fighting the blaze on the ground, and went missing for about half an hour, the report said.

Ho was later found and rushed to Prince Wales Hospital where he was declared dead at 4:41pm, he said.

Nine people were declared dead at the scene and four others who were sent to the hospital were later confirmed dead, authorities told reporters yesterday.

 

重點單字 / 用法：

 7  evacuate (v.) 撤離
＊被動態常用：be evacuated to...

• Residents were evacuated to a nearby school.
  （居民被疏散到附近的學校。）

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 8  temporary shelter (n.) 臨時避難所

• The victims took refuge in temporary shelters.
  （受災民眾在臨時避難所避難。）

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 9  critical condition (n.) 病危

• Five people remain in critical condition.
  （五人仍然病危。）

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 10  dispatch (v.) 派遣；調度

• More rescue teams were dispatched to the site.
  （更多救援隊被派往現場。）

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 11  declare (v.) 宣布；判定

• The victim was declared dead at the hospital.
  （受害者在醫院被宣告死亡。）

 

The fire department said it received reports at 2:51pm that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court. By 6:22pm it had been upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the city's highest.

The Fire Services Department earlier yesterday said it deployed 767 firefighters, 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances to tackle the deadly blaze, local media Hong Kong Free Press reported last night.

 

Firefighters battled the orange flames into the night as thick black smoke billowed from the 32-storey towers, which were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding — whose use the government began phasing out in March for safety reasons — and green construction mesh.

Fire authorities said they were grappling to get to the towers' upper floors due to the intense heat, and that the blaze was getting tougher after night fell.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

 

重點單字 / 用法：

 12  alarm (n.) 警報等級

• The fire was raised to a third alarm.
  （火警被升級為三級警報。）

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 13  deploy (v.) 調度；部署
＊多用於政府／軍方／消防隊，deploy + 人力 / 設備

• Over 700 firefighters were deployed to the scene.
  （超過 700 名消防員被派往現場。）

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 14  billow (v.) 翻騰；滾滾上升

• Thick smoke billowed from the building.
  （濃煙從建築中滾滾升起。）

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 15  scaffolding (n.) 鷹架
＊建築專業字；常與 metal / bamboo scaffolding 並用。

• The workers stood on the scaffolding to paint the wall.
  （工人站在鷹架上粉刷牆面。）

 

Authorities suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

“We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung (鍾麗詒), a senior superintendent of police, told reporters today.

This morning, three men, the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

 

Police also said they found styrofoam — which is highly flammable — attached to the windows on each floor near the elevator lobby of the one unaffected tower.

It was believed to have been installed by the construction company but the purpose was not clear.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang (鄧炳強) said they would investigate the materials further.

 

At last night’s press conference, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) said the Fire Department and the Police Department have set up a special task force to investigate the fire.

The case is to be sent to the Coroner’s Court, he added.

"The priority is to extinguish the fire and rescue the residents who are trapped. The second is to support the injured. The third is to support and recover. Then, we'll launch a thorough investigation," he said.

 

He expressed deep condolences to families affected by the blaze.

The government would prioritize the disaster and halt promotion for the Dec. 7 elections for the Legislative Council, the city’s legislature, he added.

He did not say if the elections could be delayed but said decisions would come “a few days later.”

 

重點單字 / 用法：

 16  fire resistance (n.) 阻燃性；耐火性

• The material has low fire resistance.
  （這種材料的耐火性很低。）

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 17  grossly negligent (adj.) 極度疏忽的
negligence (n.) 疏忽（法律常見字）
＊grossly 為強調副詞。

• The company was found grossly negligent in safety management.
  （該公司在安全管理上極度疏忽。）

• Authorities suspected serious negligence in the construction process.
  （當局懷疑施工過程存在嚴重疏失。）

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 18  set up (v.) 設立；成立

• A special task force was set up to investigate the blaze.
  （已成立專案小組調查這起火災。）

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 19  task force (n.)    專案小組

• A task force was formed to investigate the incident.
  （成立專案小組調查事件。）

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 20  extinguish (v.) 撲滅（火焰、希望）
＊常見搭配 extinguish a fire / hope。

• Firefighters worked all night to extinguish the fire.
  （消防員通宵撲滅火勢。）

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 21  condolence (n.) 哀悼；慰問
＊常與 express / offer condolences 並用。

• The mayor expressed his condolences to the victims’ families.
  （市長向罹難者家屬致哀。）

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 22  prioritize (v.) 優先處理

• The government will prioritize disaster relief.
  （政府將優先處理救災工作。）

 

 

The Wang Fuk Court, where the fire started, has 2,000 residential apartments comprising eight blocks.

The complex has 4,643 residents, more than one-third of whom are over age 65, according to property agent Midland Realty's analysis of government data.

The Fire Services Department yesterday said it did not yet have a figure for the number of people who might still be inside the buildings.

Lo Hiu-fung (羅曉楓), a Taipo District Council member, told local TV station TVB earlier yesterday that most of the residents trapped in the blaze were believed to be elderly people.

 

The Hong Kong fire service has been advising residents trapped inside the burning buildings to stay inside, close their windows and await rescue.

Hong Kong's Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong's two main highways, had been closed and buses were being diverted.

At least six schools are to be closed today due to the fire and traffic congestion, the city's Education Bureau said.

 

The Home Affairs Department, District Offices and Social Welfare Department have set up interdepartmental help desks, arranged for residents in need to move to temporary shelters, and provided assistance and mental support to the families of the deceased and injured, the Hong Kong government said.

The Hospital Authority has also activated the emergency mechanism to make every effort to save and care for the injured, it said.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last night expressed condolences to the victims of the fire in Hong Kong, and the firefighter who died in the line of duty, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Xi also called for all-out efforts to extinguish the fire and minimize casualties and losses.

The blaze at Wang Fuk Court is Hong Kong’s worst fire since 41 people died in a blaze in the commercial Garley Building on Nathan Road in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996.

 

In that fire, 81 people were injured.

The fire was later found to be caused by welding during internal renovations.

A judge-led public inquiry led to sweeping updates of building standards and fire safety regulations in Hong Kong’s high-rise offices, shops and homes.

 

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.

The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety.

It announced that 50 percent of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.

 

Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

The eight-tower complex was completed in 1983, according to Hong Kong's public housing authority website, and has 1,984 apartments.

 

Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government's subsidized home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites.

According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.

重點單字 / 用法：

 23  activate (v.) 啟動

• The emergency mechanism was activated to treat the injured.
  （緊急應變機制已啟動以照顧傷者。）

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 24  casualty (n.) 傷亡者
＊常用複數 casualties。

• The accident resulted in numerous casualties.
  （該事故造成多人傷亡。）

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 25  phase out (v.) 逐步淘汰
＊用於政策、產品、制度。

• The government plans to phase out bamboo scaffolding.
  （政府計畫逐步淘汰竹製鷹架。）

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 26  renovation (n.) 整修；翻新
＊可與 under renovation / renovation project 並用。

• The building has been under renovation for a year.
  （該建築已整修一年。）

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