Hong Kong Leader Directs Investigation into Deadly Inferno that Took 151

Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, among them the senior figures of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in different stages. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these loopholes are eliminated," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and between the blocks—was finally put out by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it started, and took over 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to secure proof. Officials state the inquiry could require three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have stated they failed to hear a fire alarm when the fire broke out. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in each building were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was part of a group petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An online petition amassed in excess of 10,000 endorsements in a very short time before its page was taken down.

Two other people, among them a ex-local representative, were also questioned by authorities, according to news outlets.

International Reaction

The rights group and The monitoring body have both criticised the reported arrests.

"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the catastrophic blaze...rather than muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had offered close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 residents, based on a population count.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are estimated to be older than 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on in history took 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was caused by a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 individuals lost their lives.