Hong Kong Leader Orders Investigation into Tragic Inferno that Took 151
Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 individuals.
A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale
Last Wednesday, the majority of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that construction site netting installed on the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.
A minimum of 13 people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, among them the directors of a contractor.
"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to guarantee all these gaps are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.
Investigation and Aftermath
The inferno—which spread quickly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it ignited, and required in excess of 2,000 fire service personnel to subdue.
The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the investigation could take three to four weeks.
Systemic Failures Identified
A number of occupants have reported they did not hear a emergency siren when the fire broke out. Local firefighters discovered that alarms in every tower were malfunctioning.
Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold renovation projects on 30 private projects.
Calls for Inquiry and Arrests
Separately, officers took into custody a young man on charges related to subversion on Saturday. He was part of a group calling for an separate review into the blaze. An digital signature drive collected more than 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.
A pair of additional persons, comprising a past council member, were also detained by officers, per press accounts.
International Reaction
The human rights organization and The monitoring body have both denounced the reported arrests.
"This is the occasion for the city's officials to openly examine the causes of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," Amnesty International said.
Historical Context and Demographics
The residential complex was built in 1983 and had offered close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 occupants, per a population count.
Almost four in ten of its residents are estimated to be over 65 years of age. A number have resided in the subsidised housing estate since it was built.
The city's second-most fatal incident on file killed 176 people in 1948 and was caused by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The worst was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when more than 600 attendees perished.
