City in Mourning After Tragic Blaze
Hong Kong has declared three days of mourning following the city's deadliest fire in nearly eight decades. The tragic blaze at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Tai Po's New Territories has claimed 128 lives and left 83 people injured, according to official reports.
Official Ceremony and Investigation
Chief Executive John Lee led a solemn ceremony at government headquarters on Saturday, where officials observed three minutes of silence for the victims. The ceremony came as security officials confirmed they cannot rule out finding more bodies in the wreckage.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption has taken decisive action, arresting 11 people in connection with the fire. Those detained include two directors and two project managers from the engineering consultancy overseeing the estate's renovation, three scaffolding subcontractors, and a middleman. Earlier arrests had already taken two directors and a consultant from the main renovation contractor into custody on suspicion of manslaughter.
What Caused the Rapid Spread?
Security Secretary Chris Tang revealed that construction materials used for ongoing renovation work significantly contributed to the fire's rapid spread. The blaze began on Wednesday on the building's lower floors when netting wrapped around bamboo scaffolding caught fire, igniting highly flammable foam boards installed around windows.
The intense heat set the entire scaffolding structure alight, causing burning bamboo pieces to fall and ignite additional floors across the eight-tower complex. Fire Services Director Andy Yeung confirmed that problems were found with the building's alarm systems, which failed to produce any sound during the emergency.
Government inspections had repeatedly flagged risks before the disaster. The Labour Department conducted 16 checks on the renovation project and issued multiple written warnings, including one as recently as last week, urging the contractor to implement proper fire-prevention measures.
In response to the tragedy, the Buildings Department has inspected 127 buildings and identified foam boards covering windows at two locations, ordering their immediate removal. The government has established condolence points across all 18 districts for the public to pay respects to victims and their families.
The Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong issued a statement warning against attempts to use the fire to stoke unrest, while praising the government's disaster relief efforts. This fire represents Hong Kong's deadliest since a 1948 warehouse fire that killed 176 people.
