55 people killed in Hong Kong’s worst fire since 1948, leading Chinese companies to rush to pledge millions of dollars

Private Chinese companies have pledged tens of millions of dollars to support rescue and relief efforts after a house fire in Hong Kong left at least 55 people dead and hundreds missing.

alibaba group and its affiliate Ant Group have jointly pledged HK$30 million to support fire relief efforts. Alibaba founder Jack Ma, one of the most famous Chinese entrepreneurs, also pledged $30 million through a charitable foundation to provide emergency aid to disaster victims.

sportswear manufacturers YouThe company, which owns brands such as Jack Wolfskin and Fila, announced it would donate HK$30 million in cash and equipment. tencent holdings, Xiaomi Co., Ltd. ByteDance and ByteDance each pledged to donate HK$10 million to aid rescue operations and fire victims.

The wave of donations followed President Xi Jinping’s comments urging all-out efforts to reduce casualties and mobilizing relevant authorities and stakeholders to provide “necessary assistance”.

Amid increased regulatory scrutiny of the private sector, Chinese entrepreneurs have stepped up their philanthropic efforts in recent years to heed the Chinese government’s call to prioritize social responsibility over profit.

Xiaomi co-founder Lei Jun has donated more than 1.7 billion yuan ($240 million) since establishing the charity foundation in 2019 to support cutting-edge technology development and provide financial support to students from low-income families.

In 2021, Meituan founder Wang Xing donated approximately $2.3 billion worth of stock to a charitable foundation that promotes education and scientific research. ByteDance’s Zhang Yiming also donated part of his wealth to charity.

The fire was Hong Kong’s deadliest since a warehouse fire in 1948 killed 176 people.

The fire gutted Wang Fu Court, an eight-story public housing complex in northern Hong Kong housing 4,600 people in 2,000 apartments, Reuters reported.

Reuters reported on Thursday morning, citing authorities, that the fires were extinguished in four of the seven affected blocks, almost a full day after they started. Firefighters were still working to extinguish the fire in the remaining areas.

Officials said the fire may have started on part of the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the complex and then spread through wooden pillars and protective netting to other buildings, prompting public scrutiny of the city’s housing standards.

Hong Kong police have accused a construction company of “gross negligence” in using “highly flammable” foam, protective mesh sheets and plastics that may not meet fire safety standards. Three men from a construction company were arrested on suspicion of “culpable homicide.”