The city's Chief Executive Orders Probe into Deadly Fire that Claimed Lives of 151
The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 residents.
A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale
Last Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to major refurbishment—went up in flames. A probe subsequently revealed that construction site netting used around the buildings failed to meet requirements for fire resistance.
No fewer than 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, among them the directors of a construction company.
"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Changes are required. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. Hence we must act seriously to ensure that all these deficiencies are eliminated," stated the leader.
The Probe and Its Consequences
The fire—that propagated rapidly both upwards and from building to building—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and took more than 2,000 emergency responders to contain.
On that day, police began entering the buildings to secure proof. Authorities say the probe could take approximately a month.
Systemic Failures Identified
Multiple inhabitants have said they did not hear a fire alarm when the incident started. Local firefighters determined that warning systems in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.
The city's construction authority has halted for now construction activities on numerous private sites.
Calls for Inquiry and Arrests
Separately, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on charges related to sedition on the weekend. He was involved with a group demanding an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An digital signature drive gathered in excess of 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its information was removed.
Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also detained by authorities, according to news outlets.
International Reaction
The human rights organization and Human Rights Watch have both condemned the reported arrests.
"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the tragic incident...as opposed to silencing those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.
Historical Context and Demographics
Wang Fuk Court was constructed in the early 1980s and had offered close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 inhabitants, according to a recent official survey.
Nearly 40% of its inhabitants are estimated to be older than 65 years of age. Some have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since it was built.
The city's second-worst blaze on in history took 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 individuals died.
