Chinese firms rush to pledge millions in fire rescue as Hong Kong fire death toll climbs to 55

Chinese private firms pledged tens of millions of dollars to support rescue and relief efforts after a deadly residential fire in Hong Kong killed at least 55 people and left hundreds missing.

Alibaba Group and its affiliate Ant Group together committed 30 million Hong Kong dollars to support fire relief efforts. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, one of the most recognizable Chinese entrepreneurs, also pledged $30 million through his charity foundation to provide emergency aid to those affected.

Sportswear maker Anta, which owns brands such as Jack Wolfskin and Fila, said it would donate HK$30 million in cash and equipment. Tencent Holdings, Xiaomi Corp and ByteDance each pledged HK$10 million to aid the rescue efforts and support victims of the blaze.

The wave of donations followed comments from President Xi Jinping, who urged all-out efforts to reduce casualties and rallied relevant authorities and parties to provide “necessary support.”

Chinese entrepreneurs have ramped up their charitable commitments in recent years to heed Beijing’s call to put social responsibility before profits, amid tightened regulatory scrutiny of the private sector.

Xiaomi’s co-founder, Lei Jun, has donated more than 1.7 billion yuan ($240 million) since launching his philanthropic foundation in 2019 to support cutting-edge technology development and provide financial assistance to students from low-income families.

In 2021, Meituan’s founder, Wang Xing, contributed shares worth about $2.3 billion to his philanthropic foundation, which promotes education and scientific research. ByteDance’s Zhang Yiming has also given away parts of his fortune to charitable causes.

The fire on Thursday is Hong Kong’s deadliest since 1948, when a warehouse blaze killed 176 people.

The latest blaze tore through Wang Fuk Court, an eight-tower housing block in northern Hong Kong housing 4,600 people in 2,000 apartments, according to Reuters.

On Thursday morning, Reuters reported, citing authorities, that the fire in four of the seven affected blocks had been brought under control nearly a full day after the fire began. Firefighters were still working to contain the blaze in the remaining areas.

Officials said the blaze may have started on a section of bamboo scaffolding encasing the complex, then spread to other buildings through the wooden poles and protective netting — prompting public scrutiny of the city’s housing standards.

Hong Kong’s police pointed to a “grossly negligent” construction company that used protective mesh sheets and plastic that may not meet fire standards and foam material that is “highly inflammable.” Three men from the construction company have been arrested on suspicion of “manslaughter.”