🔗 Share this article The city's Leader Directs Investigation into Deadly Fire that Killed 151 The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to investigate the cause of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 residents. Video depicts rapid pace of flames advancing in the city's residential tower. A Fire of Historic Proportions On Wednesday last week, seven of eight apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations. At least 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a contractor. "This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these loopholes are eliminated," he said. Investigation and Aftermath The fire—which spread quickly both upwards and across the separate towers—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it began, and took in excess of 2,000 fire service personnel to contain. The same day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the probe could last approximately a month. The fire is the deadliest the region has witnessed in more than 70 decades. Systemic Failures Identified A number of occupants have stated they did not hear a smoke detector when the fire erupted. The city's fire department found that detection devices in each building were operating inadequately. Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold construction activities on 30 private projects. Demands for Probe and Detentions Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on charges related to subversion on Saturday. He was part of a group calling for an separate review into the fire. An digital signature drive gathered over 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its contents were wiped. Another two individuals, among them a ex-local representative, were also questioned by officers, per news outlets. The city's leader John Lee said that the inquiry would be led by a judge. Global Response Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both condemned the said apprehensions. "This is the occasion for the city's officials to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire...instead of muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group. Background and Resident Profile Wang Fuk Court was completed in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 residents, per a population count. Nearly 40% of its occupants are estimated to be at least 65 years of age. Some have resided in the public housing complex since it was built. The city's second-worst blaze on file took 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a local racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 individuals died.