🔗 Share this article The city's Chief Executive Orders Investigation into Deadly Inferno that Killed 151 The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of 151 individuals. Footage depicts rapid pace of flames advancing in the city's residential tower. A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale This past Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards. A minimum of 13 people have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, including the senior figures of a contractor. "This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to guarantee all these loopholes are addressed," he said. The Probe and Its Consequences The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and from building to building—was not completely extinguished by Friday morning, approximately two days after it started, and necessitated in excess of 2,000 firefighters to subdue. That very day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the investigation could require several weeks. The fire is the deadliest the metropolis has experienced in exceeding 70 years. Shortcomings Uncovered Multiple inhabitants have stated they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. The city's fire department discovered that alarms in every tower were not working effectively. The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended works on numerous private sites. Calls for Inquiry and Arrests In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a individual on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a gathering demanding an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An internet-based appeal collected more than 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its page was taken down. A pair of additional persons, comprising a former district councillor, were also detained by police, per news outlets. Chief executive John Lee said that the committee would be headed by a judge. Global Response The human rights organization and The monitoring body have both denounced the said apprehensions. "Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the reasons of the devastating fire...as opposed to silencing those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group. Historical Context and Demographics Wang Fuk Court was built in the early 1980s and had offered 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 occupants, per a 2021 government census. Almost four in ten of its residents are believed to be at least 65 years old. A number have lived in the subsidised housing estate from its inception. Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on in history killed 176 individuals in 1948 and was the result of a blast on the lower level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 individuals lost their lives.