My Take | We must ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again

The rapid spread of a ferocious fire through multi-storey housing blocks, leaving helpless occupants trapped and dying, has long been one of Hong Kong’s darkest nightmares. In a city where most live in proximity to each other in high-rise flats, the risk of a blaze turning homes into death traps is ever present. But the fire that swiftly engulfed seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on Wednesday, killing more than 100 people and leaving thousands homeless, is on a scale that exceeds even the worst fears. With bodies still being identified and many residents unaccounted for, the death toll will rise. It is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire for many decades. The harrowing images of the blaze were heartbreaking to watch. The plight of the victims has understandably drawn expressions of sympathy from around the world, from Britain’s King Charles to the Pope. It is difficult to imagine the trauma faced by the residents, especially those who queued to trawl fearfully through a photo album of burned bodies, fearing their missing relatives may be among them. No one with a connection to Hong Kong could fail to be deeply moved. As a former long-time resident of the city, my thoughts and sympathies are with those who are suffering as a result of this terrible tragedy. The city is in mourning this weekend. Flags are flying at half-mast, memorial ceremonies are being held and condolence books signed. Officials dressed in black, led by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, observed three minutes of silence yesterday. Public events have been cancelled and today’s horse racing will take place behind closed doors, with proceeds to be donated to supporting the victims. The sensitivity and respect shown is the least the residents deserve. This is a time for reflection and remembrance. But work on the immensely difficult task of recovery and rebuilding lives has already begun. The worst of times often brings out the best in people. The community response to the disaster has been impressive. Donations of hundreds of millions of dollars to provide help for victims have been made by the government, Hong Kong Jockey Club, corporations, charities and members of the public. Much-needed cash handouts are already being received by those in need. Finding accommodation for residents unable to return to their blackened homes is a priority. Rooms in hotels and hostels were quickly made available and accommodation in transitional housing provided. But this is a temporary arrangement and long-term solutions must be found. Public-spirited citizens have donated daily necessities including food, drink, clothing, bedding and even supplies for pets. Volunteers hurried to the scene to help distribute them. Free medical and counselling services are being offered. Hong Kong prides itself on an ability to show resilience at times of crisis. The city has pulled together admirably. But now the fire, which burned for 43 hours, has been extinguished and help is being given to victims, the community needs to understand how such a disaster could occur. There are many questions to be answered. Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing extensive renovation work since July last year. The exterior walls of its towering blocks were shrouded in bamboo scaffolding and green netting. This is a familiar sight in the city, where there are so many high-rise buildings in need of maintenance. Concerns have been raised about the materials used in the renovation, the practices adopted by workers, the tendering process for the project and whether safety regulations were complied with. Investigations are at an early stage. But the highly flammable styrofoam applied to windows is believed to have acted as an accelerant, causing the flames to spread with lethal speed. The fire alarms appear to have failed to function, leaving residents unaware of the fast-approaching danger. There are also allegations that renovation workers had been smoking. The picture will become clearer as inquiries proceed. Law enforcement authorities have wasted no time in apprehending those suspected of criminal culpability for the disaster. Two directors and the authorised signatory of main contractor, Prestige Construction and Engineering Company, were arrested by police while firefighters were still battling the blaze. The Independent Commission Against Corruption has also made arrests including two directors of the consultant responsible for the maintenance project, Will Power Architects Company. Two of the firm’s project managers, two owners of a subcontractor for scaffolding work and a middleman have also been arrested. Premises have been raided. The legal process must now take its course, with a fair assessment of whether offences were committed. But there will be a need for a wider, thorough investigation into precisely how this shocking fire occurred and what lessons can be learned for the future. There was a commission of inquiry into the Garley Building Fire in 1996, which left 41 people dead, led by a judge. It delivered a report the following year. More recently, in the UK, an exhaustive six-year probe into the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 Londoners, led to the publication of a final 1,700-page report last year. The findings were damning, highlighting decades of failure by successive governments and the “systematic dishonesty” of companies who provided the building with combustible materials. There had been a scandalous combination of government indifference to fire safety risks, weak regulation and corporate greed, said the report, which concluded the deaths were all avoidable. The Grenfell Tower disaster, in which highly flammable cladding accelerated the spread of the fire, must be seen in the British context. But it may be that Hong Kong can learn from that experience. There is a need for transparency and clarity. Fire safety has long been a concern in the city. Five people died in a blaze in Yau Ma Tei last year, which highlighted the need to ensure old buildings meet modern safety standards. The Buildings Department revealed at the time that owners of 9,500 properties had failed to comply with its fire safety orders. That fire prompted inspections and a tightening of the law, in December, to increase penalties and allow authorities to step in to carry out improvements if owners fail to do so. The legal amendments had been in the pipeline since 2021. Over the years, steps to improve safety standards in response to fires have taken too long, with other blazes raising fresh concerns before measures have been put in place. A tragedy on the scale of the Wang Fuk Court fire must bring fundamental and lasting change. Much broader and deeper reforms will be needed to rid the city of slack fire safety practices once and for all and to ensure that its buildings are safe. The priority now is to care for the victims of the disaster. But the best way of honouring them, and those who lost their lives, is to ensure a catastrophe of this kind never happens again.

My Take | We must ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again

A horror on the scale of the Wang Fuk Court catastrophe must result in fundamental and lasting change