🔗 Share this article

The city's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the apartment buildings at the estate—which had been undergoing extensive renovations—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that protective netting surrounding the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

At least 13 individuals have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, among them the senior figures of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. Yes, we have identified failures in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to make certain all these gaps are plucked," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—that propagated rapidly both vertically and across the separate towers—was not completely extinguished by the morning of Friday, approximately two days after it started, and took over 2,000 firefighters to contain.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the probe could take approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they did not hear a fire alarm when the incident broke out. Local firefighters discovered that detection devices in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, police reportedly detained a young man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was among a collective calling for an separate review into the fire. An online petition amassed in excess of 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a ex-local representative, were also detained by police, per press accounts.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both condemned the said apprehensions.

"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 residents, based on a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are estimated to be older than 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the government-supported development since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on record claimed 176 people in 1948 and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when more than 600 individuals lost their lives.