🔗 Share this article

Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to investigate the cause of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, most of the residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that construction site netting installed on the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

No fewer than 13 suspects have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, among them the executives of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in various phases. Hence we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these loopholes are plucked," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—that propagated rapidly both upwards and from building to building—was only fully doused by Friday morning, approximately two days after it began, and necessitated more than 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the inquiry could last three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have said they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the fire broke out. Hong Kong's fire service found that alarms in every tower were operating inadequately.

The relevant regulatory body has temporarily suspended renovation projects on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, police reportedly detained a 24-year-old man on allegations of incitement on Saturday. He was part of a gathering calling for an separate review into the blaze. An online petition collected over 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, comprising a ex-local representative, were also detained by authorities, according to local media reports.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Human Rights Watch have both denounced the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the reasons of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to muzzling those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was constructed in 1983 and had provided close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 residents, per a recent official survey.

Almost four in ten of its residents are thought to be over 65 years of age. Several have lived in the government-supported development from its inception.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record took 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when over 600 attendees perished.