The city's Leader Directs Probe into Deadly Inferno that Killed 151
The city's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 residents.
A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale
On Wednesday last week, seven of eight residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to extensive renovations—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that protective netting surrounding the buildings failed to meet requirements for fire resistance.
At least 13 people have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a contractor.
"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in different stages. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to guarantee all these deficiencies are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.
Investigation and Aftermath
The fire—that propagated rapidly both upwards and from building to building—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it started, and necessitated over 2,000 fire service personnel to contain.
The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the probe could take three to four weeks.
Systemic Failures Identified
A number of occupants have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the incident broke out. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that alarms in each building were operating inadequately.
Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on 30 private projects.
Calls for Inquiry and Arrests
Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was among a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the blaze. An online petition collected over 10,000 endorsements in a very short time before its page was taken down.
A pair of additional persons, including a past council member, were also detained by authorities, per press accounts.
Global Response
The rights group and The monitoring body have both criticised the alleged detentions.
"This is the occasion for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the catastrophic blaze...instead of suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.
Background and Resident Profile
The residential complex was built in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 inhabitants, per a 2021 government census.
Almost four in ten of its occupants are estimated to be at least 65 years old. A number have resided in the government-supported development since its construction.
Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on in history claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when in excess of 600 individuals died.
