As Hong Kong mourns the victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and questions emerge on accountability, experts have called for much tighter supervision of building maintenance and fire safety by authorities to hold relevant parties responsible so that future tragedies can be averted.
They gave this assessment as the government set up an interdepartmental task force to probe Wednesday’s fire, including the cause, the reasons it spread so quickly and the factors leading to the heavy casualties.
The fire that ravaged seven out of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court, which was undergoing renovation, claimed at least 128 lives, and 150 people remained unreachable. Among the dead, a number of bodies have been deemed “unidentifiable”, suggesting they were burned beyond recognition.
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Preliminary investigations found the blaze started on protective nets covering scaffolding at Wang Cheong House and was intensified by styrofoam, with fire alarms in all eight blocks malfunctioning.
Initial tests showed that the nets at Wang Fuk Court complied with fire-retardant requirements, but styrofoam boards in Wang Chi House, the only block unaffected by the blaze, were found to be flammable.
Citywide checks, ordered by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, of buildings undergoing facade maintenance with protective nets found two of 127 blocks contained styrofoam and their removal was ordered. This was the status report of the inspections, as of Friday 5pm. Authorities were also considering taking legal action over the two towers.