The fire that broke out on Wednesday quickly engulfed seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex. A three-day mourning period was declared in Hong Kong on Saturday. Thousands of people gathered at the site of the tragedy on Sunday to pay their respects to the victims. The line of people with flowers and notes stretched about two kilometers long.
An Indonesian worker, Romlah Rosidah, shared with Reuters: “This ceremony was announced only on social media, but we could not remain indifferent.”
The causes of the fire are still under investigation. Eight people have been detained on suspicion of corruption during renovation work, and three others have been arrested on charges of manslaughter. Police state that the investigation may take up to four weeks.
At the time of the fire, renovation work was underway in the residential complex, and the buildings were surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and protective netting.
The complete extinguishment of the fire was only achieved by Friday morning, approximately 40 hours after it began. More than 2,000 firefighters participated in the operation.
On Sunday, police reported that the inspection of the four buildings in the complex had been completed.
Among the victims are at least seven Indonesians and one citizen of the Philippines. Also among the deceased was a 37-year-old firefighter. According to the fire department, the temperature during the incident reached 500 degrees Celsius, and 12 firefighters were injured.
Hong Kong officials noted that the fire spread rapidly through flammable materials, including the plastic protective netting used on the outside of the buildings. Bamboo scaffolding, erected around the complex, is often used in such situations in Hong Kong, and following this incident, active discussions about their safety have begun.
Some residents also stated that they did not hear the fire alarm. Emergency services found that the alarm was malfunctioning in all eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court complex.
The Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption confirmed that among those detained are executives from the engineering company and contractors responsible for the scaffolding installation.
Additionally, authorities have suspended 30 private construction projects.
Reports indicate that a 24-year-old local resident was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of inciting a riot. He was part of a group demanding an independent investigation into the incident.
The Wang Fuk Court complex was built in 1983 and includes 1,984 apartments, housing about 4,600 people, according to the 2021 census. Nearly 40% of the residents were aged 65 and older, some of whom received social housing immediately after construction.
The largest fire in Hong Kong's history occurred in 1918: more than 600 people died at the Happy Valley Racecourse. The second-largest tragedy was the 1948 fire, which killed 176 people due to an explosion on the first floor of a five-story warehouse.
