Hong Kong fire: Anger grows and questions persist as fire kills at least 83 people

Shock is giving way to anger in Hong Kong after a massive fire ripped through a densely populated subsidized housing estate on Wednesday, killing at least 83 people and seriously injuring dozens.

Authorities say substandard screens and plastic sheeting on the buildings’ windows may have spread the fire, which lasted more than a day on some blocks. Almost 300 people are still missing.

There are growing questions about how the fire at Wang Fuk Court spread so quickly and who to hold responsible, with many Hong Kongers calling it a “man-made disaster.”

Three people responsible for the renovation works at the complex are arrested for homicide and the authorities have launched an investigation for corruption.

A post that has gone viral on social media following the fire says: “It’s not an accident.”

Several neighbors have revealed in interviews that the fire alarm did not sound when the fire occurred.

Kiko Ma, owner of an apartment in Wang Fuk Court, says the alarms went off in the middle of renovation work, as construction workers regularly used fire escapes to enter and exit the building.

Ms. Ma lives in Canada with her family, but visits the Hong Kong apartment several times a year.

“This was preventable… Many people did not fulfill their obligations,” the 33-year-old tells the BBC, claiming that the renovation company used “poor quality flammable materials.”

Residents often saw construction workers smoking and found cigarette butts on window sills, he adds.

“People kept asking what would happen if a fire broke out. Everyone was very worried about this.”

This is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in at least 63 years, having already surpassed the toll of the August 1962 fire in the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood, which killed 44 people and displaced hundreds.

Built in the 1980s, the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district, northeast of Hong Kong, comprises eight 31-story buildings, seven of which burned down. Apartments here are sold at subsidized prices, but the day-to-day affairs of the estate are run by private companies.

According to the 2021 census, the complex was home to about 4,600 people, almost 40% of whom were 65 years old or older.

The city’s fire department said Thursday that firefighters faced major challenges trying to rescue residents, including high temperatures, the risk of scaffolding collapsing and the apartments’ small, crowded interiors.

Hong Kong is known for its small, densely packed housing in the city center, where many public rental housing tenants have, on average, a living space of just 14.1 square meters.

It is unclear how many people were in Wang Fuk Court when the fire broke out, but hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters and some are being assigned emergency housing units.

While police investigate whether mesh netting, plastic and tarpaulin sheets used during renovations met fire safety standards, some experts believe bamboo scaffolding connecting the apartment blocks helped fuel the inferno.

These scaffoldings are an iconic sight throughout Hong Kong and are widely used in construction.

Earlier this year, authorities announced plans to phase out bamboo in favor of stronger, more fire-resistant steel, citing bamboo’s combustibility and deterioration over time.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court had expressed concern about the renovation plans when they were announced last year. Reports of those concerns have now resurfaced online, prompting accusations of a lack of transparency.

Another owner who was abroad when the fire broke out said the plans were “fundamentally murky”.

“[Those in charge] “I used small favors to encourage unsuspecting older residents to support their plans,” they wrote in a comment on Instagram.

Lai, a sales associate whom the BBC agreed to refer to only by his surname, says residents of Wang Fuk Court had previously questioned the high cost of the renovation works.

Calls by some residents to re-elect the estate management committee were not heeded, he added. This week’s fire is not an isolated incident, Lai said, stating that construction companies “often prioritize cost efficiency” over safety.

He noted that a building in Hong Kong’s central district caught fire last month after its bamboo scaffolding caught fire.

“When similar incidents occur, it raises the question of whether [there are] systemic weaknesses.

Hong Kong authorities on Thursday ordered inspections of all housing estates undergoing “major repairs” to check the “safety of scaffolding and construction materials.”