The inferno that engulfed Wang Fuk Court residential compound in Hong Kong is still burning, but questions are already being asked about what the deadliest fire in more than 70 years means for Beijing’s grip on power in the city.
The death toll from the blaze, which tore apart seven of the eight high-rise apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, a residential compound home to 4,800 people, is still rising. Hundreds of people are still missing.
But as firefighters work to bring the fire under control and make progress with rescue efforts, anger is already swelling among Hongkongers about the causes of the fire.
The fire has also tapped into the social anxiety in Hong Kong around affordable housing, where sky-high property prices mean that many people live in tightly packed high-rise apartments that can become death traps when disaster strikes.
Three Arrested in HK High Rise Fire
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades burned through the night, leaving at least 44 people dead and 279 reported missing with rescuers still pulling residents from blazing high-rise apartment buildings into the morning.
Police had arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with fire which began Wednesday afternoon in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories. By Thursday morning local time, the fire was yet to be put out and rescues continued.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread across seven of the eight towers in the Wang Fuk Court complex, as bright flames and smoke shot out of windows.
Forty of the 44 fatalities were declared dead at the scene, officials said. At least 62 others were injured, many suffering from burn and inhalation injuries.
Authorities suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, as the rapid spread of the fire was unusual.
Police also said they found Styrofoam materials – that are highly flammable – outside the windows on each floor near the lift lobby of the one unaffected tower, believed to be installed by a construction company.
“We have reason to believe that those in charge of the construction company were grossly negligent,” said Eileen Chung, a senior superintendent of police. The three men arrested, aged 52 to 68, are the directors and an engineering consultant of the firm.
The fire at four of the buildings was “coming under control” by Thursday morning, according to the Fire Services Department.
Article continues.
Several other articles linked here as well. Videos were horrifying. Seven of the eight towers went up. Immediately reminded me of the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire
…this is tragic…
TL;Dr: They want the Hong Kong leader to focus on the renovation company’s possible corruption, not the bamboo that didn’t burn.
The Hong Kong leader responded to the fire by promising to replace (traditional Hong Kong) bamboo scaffolding with (mainland China) steel, because they’re claiming it might have been an accelerant.
Residents argue that this is a distraction (most of the bamboo is still standing) from the real issue: the company doing the renovation/maintenance seems shoddy/corrupt and should be investigated.
At this point, the article gets unfocused and jumps around a lot.
By the end, she’s talking about the upcoming elections being compromised by the Chinese government.
