🔗 Share this article

Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an independent committee to investigate the cause of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, seven of eight apartment buildings at the housing complex—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

At least 13 people have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, including the senior figures of a construction company.

"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in various phases. Hence we must respond rigorously to make certain all these gaps are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it ignited, and necessitated more than 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the inquiry could take three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have said they did not hear a fire alarm when the fire broke out. The city's fire department determined that detection devices in all eight blocks were operating inadequately.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, officers took into custody a young man on allegations of sedition on the weekend. He was involved with a gathering demanding an separate review into the tragedy. An online petition gathered over 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, including a past council member, were also questioned by officers, according to news outlets.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the catastrophic blaze...rather than silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was built in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 occupants, based on a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are believed to be at least 65 years old. Some have been occupants of the public housing complex since it was built.

The city's second-most fatal incident on in history killed 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 over 600 attendees lost their lives.