This article examines the residential fire that occurred at Hong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, on 26 November 2025, through the lens of semiotics and disaster management. Drawing on media reports and secondary data, the study analyses the roles and interactions of key stakeholders, including residents, property management companies, maintenance contractors, and government departments, in the processes of pre-disaster prevention, response during the incident, and post-disaster recovery. The findings highlight how weak safety awareness and communication gaps among stakeholders contributed to the escalation of risk. Particular attention is given to the function of "event leaders" in information processing and on-site command, as well as to static and dynamic guidance symbols-such as public address systems, emergency lighting, signage, and verbal instructions-and their impact on crowd evacuation behaviour. The article concludes with policy and community education recommendations, advocating mandatory installation of public address and evacuation guidance systems in residential estates and the institutionalisation of safety science education to enhance urban resilience to fire disasters in Hong Kong.
**Keywords:**
Hong Fuk Court fire; semiotics; event leaders; community disaster education; evacuation guidance; Hong Kong