A massive fire still raging in a Hong Kong apartment complex has killed at least 44 people and left nearly 300 missing and may have been fueled by unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used in maintenance, police said Thursday. According to Eileen Chung, a Hong Kong police inspector, three men from a construction company – two directors and an engineering consultant – have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the fire.
Firefighters worked through the night but were hampered by extreme heat and thick smoke as they tried to reach residents who may be trapped in the upper floors of Wang Fuk Court, a 2,000-unit apartment complex in eight buildings in the northern Tai Po district. The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon.
Officials said four of the blocks had been brought under control by early Thursday morning, while efforts to control the fire in the remaining three blocks were still ongoing after more than 15 hours.
“We have reason to believe that the responsible parties of the company were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in large casualties,” Chung was quoted as saying by Reuters.
High-rise fire in Hong Kong: Video shows the building still burning
Video from the scene showed flames still shooting from at least two of the 32-story towers and thick smoke billowing from several others.
Police said that in addition to the buildings being wrapped in protective netting and plastic materials that may not meet fire safety standards, they also found that some windows on one of the unaffected blocks had been sealed with foam material installed by a construction company carrying out maintenance work.
Meanwhile, the death toll from a fire in Hong Kong is now the highest since World War II, surpassing the 41 deaths from a fire at a commercial building in Kowloon in 1996. Hong Kong’s extremely high property prices have long fueled public frustration, and the tragedy may further fuel resentment against the authorities ahead of city-wide legislative elections in early December.
The Department of Transport said several roads in the area would remain closed on Thursday morning and 39 bus routes were diverted. The school authority announced that at least six schools will be closed on Thursday due to the fire and subsequent traffic complications. Public inquiry has previously led to extensive revisions to building regulations and fire safety rules for high-rise offices, shops and residential buildings.
(With inputs from Reuters)
