🔗 Share this article

The city's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, seven of eight tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to extensive renovations—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that construction site netting surrounding the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, 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 different stages. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these deficiencies are eliminated," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—advancing with speed both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and required more than 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the investigation could require approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have said they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the blaze broke out. The city's fire department discovered that warning systems in each building were not working effectively.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, police reportedly detained a individual on charges related to subversion on Saturday. He was part of a group petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the fire. An internet-based appeal amassed in excess of 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

A pair of additional persons, including a ex-local representative, were also detained by authorities, as reported by news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Another watchdog have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the reasons of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The residential complex was built in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 occupants, according to a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its occupants are thought to be over 65 years old. A number have lived in the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 lives in 1948 and was the result of a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people lost their lives.