Over 146 people are known to have died in a huge fire across multiple apartment blocks in Hong Kong.
The fire broke out at at Wang Fuk Court, a residential housing complex, on Wednesday 26 November. Flames were first spotted at 14:52 local time, and had spread to two more towers within ninety minutes. Over the following hours, it spread to a total of seven 31-storey apartment buildings. The last fires were extinguished at 10:18 on Friday, 44 hours after it started.
More than 2,311 firefighters were involved in the response, with 391 fire engines mobilised. The fire service reported that temperatures reached up to 500 degrees Celsius, preventing firefighters from entering the buildings at times.
Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, died while tackling the blaze, and 12 firefighters were injured.
Police said that “the building’s exterior walls had protective nets, membranes, waterproof tarpaulins, and plastic sheets suspected of not meeting fire safety standards”, with the buildings under construction also covered in bamboo scaffolding.
At time of print, eight people had been arrested on suspicion of corruption, including the directors of the construction company overseeing renovation works.
The Fire Brigades Union sent solidarity to those impacted, with general secretary Steve Wright saying that “thoughts are with the friends, family and colleagues of those who have been killed including firefighter Ho Wai-ho.
“UK firefighters know only too well the dangers of high rise fires”, he added before calling for “an urgent and transparent investigation into this tragedy, and the safety failings which led to it."
