The city's Chief Executive Directs Probe into Deadly Fire that Killed 151
The city's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 individuals.
A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale
This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.
No fewer than 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, comprising the senior figures of a contractor.
"It is a terrible tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must act seriously to ensure that all these gaps are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.
Investigation and Aftermath
The inferno—that propagated rapidly both upwards and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it ignited, and necessitated more than 2,000 firefighters to contain.
On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the probe could last approximately a month.
Systemic Failures Identified
Several residents have reported they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze erupted. Hong Kong's fire service determined that detection devices in each building were operating inadequately.
Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now works on numerous private sites.
Calls for Inquiry and Arrests
In a related development, officers took into custody a individual on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was part of a collective demanding an separate review into the blaze. An online petition amassed over 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its information was removed.
Another two individuals, among them a ex-local representative, were also detained by police, per local media reports.
International Reaction
The rights group and Human Rights Watch have both denounced the reported arrests.
"Now is the time for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...as opposed to muzzling those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.
Background and Resident Profile
The housing estate was completed in 1983 and had supplied 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 occupants, according to a recent official survey.
Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are thought to be over 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the public housing complex from its inception.
Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on file claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 attendees lost their lives.
