🔗 Share this article

The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a tragic inferno that claimed the lives of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the estate—which was subject to significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that construction site netting installed on the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

No fewer than 13 people have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, among them the executives of a contractor.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. Hence we must take decisive action to guarantee all these loopholes are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—advancing with speed both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it began, and took in excess of 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the investigation could take approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have stated they did not hear a smoke detector when the blaze erupted. Local firefighters discovered that alarms in every tower were malfunctioning.

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

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on suspicion of sedition on Saturday. He was involved with a gathering petitioning for an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive collected more than 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, comprising a former district councillor, were also detained by police, as reported by local media reports.

Global Response

The rights group and Human Rights Watch have both condemned the said apprehensions.

"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...as opposed to silencing those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was built in the early 1980s and had supplied nearly two thousand flats for approximately 4,600 residents, per a population count.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are thought to be over 65 years of age. Several have lived in the government-supported development since its construction.

The city's second-deadliest fire on file took 176 lives in 1948 and was the result of a blast on the lower level at a commercial building. The worst was at a sporting venue in 1918, when more than 600 attendees perished.