A serious fire broke out in the "Hung Fook Court" residential building in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The fire is now under control. As of approximately 7:30 a.m. on the 27th, at least 44 people have died, 62 are injured (17 of whom are in critical condition), and 279 are missing. Hong Kong police have arrested three suspects believed to have caused the fire.
Three suspects arrested in connection with firefighter's death; what is the possible cause of the fire?
According to Hong Kong media reports, local fire authorities stated that one of the eight buildings was unaffected, the fires in four buildings were under control, and firefighting efforts were still underway in three others. Firefighters were working from the lower floors upwards to extinguish the blaze. Regarding the search and rescue operation, firefighters had reached the 13th to 23rd floors in some buildings; the firefighting operation had progressed to the 5th to 18th floors. Firefighters successfully rescued survivors from the buildings. As of now, a total of 100 injured people have been assisted, of whom 40 died at the scene. Seven firefighters were injured, and one firefighter died in the line of duty.
Hong Kong police said the three arrested men are suspected of manslaughter. They are two directors and one engineering consultant of a construction company, aged between 52 and 68.
Police stated that firefighters found protective netting, waterproof tarpaulins, and plastic sheeting installed on the exterior walls, which they suspected did not comply with fire safety regulations. Additionally, in a building that was not affected by the fire, they found that the windows outside the elevator lobbies on each floor were sealed with expanding foam, which may have caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the expanding foam was applied by the same engineering company, and the company's manager is suspected of gross negligence, which caused the accident and made the fire uncontrollable. The three arrested individuals are still in police custody for investigation, and police will further clarify whether it was the expanding foam that exacerbated the fire.
Xi Jinping expresses condolences; Hong Kong Chief Executive instructs investigation.
Hung Fuk Court is a residential building that has already been sold, and the owner hired the registered"Hung Yip Construction Engineering Limited" to handle the construction. In response to this fire, the"Independent Review Panel of the Housing Bureau," which is in charge of housing matters in Hong Kong, will launch an investigation. If any violation of the Buildings Ordinance is found, the case will be handed over to the Buildings Department, the building regulatory authority, for handling in accordance with regulations, which may include prosecution or the initiation of disciplinary proceedings.
In response to the fire, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee visited the families of the deceased and the injured at Wales Hospital in Sha Tin, Hong Kong on the 27th. He expressed his deepest condolences for the incident and described it as a"major disaster".
John Lee has instructed all government departments and units to fully cooperate in disaster relief and follow-up work, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident, and to convey the concerns of Chinese President Xi Jinping:"President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to this fire, and immediately inquired about the fire rescue and casualties. He conveyed to me his condolences to the victims and the firefighters who died in the line of duty, as well as his sympathies to the families of the victims and the affected people."
