Attention grew after a woman posted text messages exchanged with her husband on Xiaohongshu shortly before he was deployed to fight the fire.

According to the South China Morning Posthe described the blaze as “a huge fire, so hot and burning so fiercely”, adding that “a lot of people cannot be saved.” When she urged him to be careful, he responded: “I have no choice but to go in.”

In another Xiaohongshu post, the wife of a different firefighter wrote that she had been unable to sleep due to worry. Her husband had been battling the blaze in Tai Po since around 6 p.m. on Wednesday and remained on duty as of Thursday afternoon.

These messages circulated as Hong Kong authorities confirmed that one firefighter had died in the incident. The firefighter, Ho Wai Ho, was dispatched to the site at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday, roughly nine minutes after the fire erupted. By then, flames had already climbed the bamboo scaffolding surrounding Wang Cheong House, one of the affected apartment buildings, while the internal fire alarm system was not functioning.

Hong Kong Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung Yan Kin said that after about 30 minutes of firefighting, Ho lost contact with his team as the blaze intensified and spread to neighboring buildings. Officials said bamboo scaffolding and other flammable materials rained down, posing severe danger to firefighters attempting to contain the flames. Ho was later found inside Wang Cheong House with burns to his face.

He was taken to a hospital in Sha Tin District but died at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday, as reported by Channel News Asia. Ho had served with the Fire Services Department for nine years. Authorities have pledged full support for his family.

Hong Kong leader John Lee and other officials expressed condolences over Ho’s death, praising his courage and dedication.

The fire began in bamboo scaffolding on the exterior of one building in Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday afternoon before spreading through scaffolding to other blocks in the eight-building complex. The blaze was raised to a No. 5 alarm, the highest level in Hong Kong’s fire alert system, later that day.

By Thursday morning, firefighters had brought the fire under control at four of the seven affected buildings and begun rescue searches on lower floors. As of Thursday afternoon, the blaze had killed at least 55 people and left nearly 300 missing.

Wang Fuk Court, part of a Hong Kong public housing program, has been occupied since 1983. Last year, the complex approved a renovation plan worth more than US$42 million.