Hong Kong Inferno: At least 151 Dead in Five-Alarm Fire
Today’s focus: A five-alarm fire in Hong Kong claims the lives of at least 151 people; inadequate fireproof materials spark public outrage and a petition for the truth, with the initiator being arrested. Details behind the fire exposed, pro-Beijing media articles being deleted; violence for stability maintenance leads to accusations of the Hong Kong government’s reputation bankruptcy.
On November 26, a five-alarm fire broke out in Hong Kong’s New Territories at Wang Fuk Yuen. The Hong Kong police announced that as of 4 pm on December 1, the fire had resulted in at least 151 deaths, with many others missing. The scene was described as devastating, with items inside some parts of the building burned to ashes and some bodies reduced to ashes. Due to skepticism about the cause of the fire, many people are urging the Hong Kong government to establish an “independent investigation committee.” However, instead of initiating an independent investigation, the Hong Kong government has arrested the initiator of the petition for investigating the fire.
On the afternoon of December 1, the Hong Kong police announced during a press conference that the death toll had risen to 151, an increase of 5 from the previous day.
According to the police, on that day, a total of 8 bodies were removed, of which 3 had already been discovered by firefighters, making 5 the additional bodies for that day. Currently, 104 bodies have been preliminarily identified, with another 39 bodies awaiting identification.
In the past two days, search teams have completed searches of 5 buildings, namely Wang Yam House, Wang Doe House, Wang Kin House, Wang Tai House, and Wang Sing House. Currently, search teams are still searching Wang Sun House and Wang Cheong House. As about one-fourth of the units in these two buildings have structures that have not been confirmed as completely safe, the search is hindered. However, in order to save time, search teams have started work in individual units confirmed as safe.
The police stated that Wang Cheung House was the first building where the fire broke out, and the fire was extinguished relatively late. The internal environment inside was described as “extremely horrendous, devastated,” with some bodies incomplete and even turned to ashes due to burning.
Director Cheung Suk Yin of the Fatality Inquiry Centre stated that the Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) of the police is making maximum efforts to continue searching at the scene, but some bodies have been burned to ashes. The police do not rule out the possibility that not all missing persons’ bodies can be completely removed from the scene.
Currently, there are still over 40 missing cases. Excluding the bodies found on the 1st, over 30 citizens are still missing.
Multiple photos show that inside Wang Fuk Yuen building, it is pitch black, with corridors, ceilings, and walls inside the rooms charred by the fire, with water accumulating deeply and reaching up to the calf in some areas. Furniture inside many houses has been completely destroyed, leaving only their frameworks.
During the press conference, Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration John Chan announced the progress of the investigation along with the Secretary for Security, John Tang, Commissioner for Independent Commission Against Corruption Simon Hueng Ming, and Director of the Crime and Security Bureau of the Police Chan Dong.
Chan mentioned that over the past two days, samples taken from 20 areas of Wang Fuk Yuen revealed that samples collected from different floors – high, medium, and low – in Wang Yam, Wang Doe, Wang Tai, and Wang Chi houses failed to meet fire-resistant testing standards.
Simon Hueng Ming mentioned that in July, when a typhoon hit, the protective nets were damaged. The individuals involved purchased about 2300 rolls, approximately 7500 square meters of protective nets that did not meet fire-resistant standards for about 54 HK dollars (same for the rest of monetary figures). These materials were sufficient to wrap eight buildings. At the end of October, the individuals purchased an additional 115 rolls, around 3700 square meters of protective nets meeting fire-resistant standards for 100 HK dollars per roll, installing them at the base of each building and passing checks in subsequent tests.
However, Hueng Ming did not mention the origin of these substandard nettings, hence it is not currently known if the rumors circulating on the internet claiming “these inferior materials came from Mainland China” are true.
Prior to this, the Hong Kong government had released investigation findings on November 28, stating that the fire initially started on the lower floors of the building, clogging windows with foam panels that led to the rapid spread of the fire, which then extended to other structures. Concurrently, bamboo scaffolding caught fire, with burning bamboo falling and igniting other protective nets, resulting in the fire going out of control.
In response to this conclusion, Hong Kong Chief Executive Li Jia Chao told the media that the government would comprehensively inspect all bamboo scaffolding in the city and consider switching to metal scaffolding.
However, this investigation has faced widespread skepticism. Hong Kong netizens argued that constructing houses with bamboo scaffolding has a century-old tradition in Hong Kong. There are enough cases to indicate that bamboo’s ignition point is quite high, and fires would not spread so rapidly. They believe the government is shifting focus, hiding the real culprits behind the massive fire.
Former director of the Hong Kong Observatory Lin Chao Ying posted on Facebook: “Flammable nets and foam are evidently the culprits, so why are we pointing fingers at bamboo, which is relatively fire-resistant?” He questioned why the “people” and “system” aspects of disaster responsibility were omitted, and why these aspects were not mentioned by anyone.
Wang Xiang Wei, former editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong South China Morning Post and current associate professor of the journalism department at Hong Kong Baptist University, told foreign media that the bigger issue is whether senior officials should take full responsibility for this tragic fire.
Civil engineering expert Zhu Xue Ye, residing in the United States, told Epoch Times that from a structural perspective, several buildings burning simultaneously indicate that the materials of the protective nets were not fire-resistant. He explained that fire safety in high-rise buildings is crucial because once a fire breaks out in a high-rise, the wind force at high altitudes is significant. Above a certain height, wind makes it nearly impossible to stop the fire spread except through materials. Only by using fire-resistant materials can firefighters have enough time to extinguish the flames. Otherwise, when a gust of wind blows, the fire immediately shoots up to the roof, making it impossible to rescue.
In fact, when the Wang Fuk Yuen began renovations in 2024, some owners had complained to the Hong Kong Labour Department that the protective nets used in the construction were not fire-resistant compliant, posing a safety hazard. However, these complaints were dismissed by the Labour Department citing reasons like “no welding operations carried out” and “low risk of fire.”
Building engineering expert and chairperson of the Central Science Inspection Committee, Pan Chao Hong, mentioned in an interview with the current affairs program “Zhen Talk” hosted by Liang Zhen, that he had written at least 80 letters last May to various departments including the Hong Kong Housing Authority, Labour Department, Building Department, and Housing Department Independent Review Panel, claiming that contractors for several buildings, including Wang Fuk Yuen, were suspected of using flammable protective nets, but no one paid attention to these emails.
Moreover, it was revealed by some netizens that the construction company involved in the building repairs, Hong Ye Building Engineering Co., Ltd., received a exorbitant fee of 330 million HK dollars, 150 million more than the competing bid at the time. If the company had a good reputation and delivered high-quality work, there would be no issue. However, the company involved has a poor reputation, with multiple fines related to “engineering or scaffolding litigation” exposed.
Liang Zhen told Epoch Times that currently in Hong Kong, as new buildings are scarce, “major renovations” have become a massive business, rife with enormous profits. The repair fees for eight buildings came to 330 million HK dollars, such a sky-high price given to a company with a dubious past and the poorest and most expensive company indicates foul play.
Due to this massive fire, the Hong Kong Buildings Department issued an order on November 29 to halt work on 30 private building projects, with 28 projects contracted to Hong Ye Construction.
On November 28, a pro-Beijing Hong Kong media, Ta Kung Pao, published a series of investigative reports titled “Exposing the Dark Secrets Behind Scaffolding Maintenance,” with a total of 4 articles. One mentioned the flaws in the Hong Kong scaffolding industry, while the other three reported various misconduct incidents involving the contractor of the Wang Fuk Yuen exterior wall maintenance, Hong Ye company. Following the incident, Hong Ye Company locked its doors and refused to respond.
After the publication, Ta Kung Pao typically releases the electronic version of the newspaper for reader access. However, on November 30, it was noticed that directly clicking on the headline of this news no longer linked to the related report.
The reports unveiled the industry’s core issues, including the lack of transparency in the bidding process leading to long-standing vicious circle bids in the industry, pushing project costs unreasonably high; the unhealthy industry ecology causing some companies to monopolize projects, involving complex networks of interests; and the use of substandard materials or a decrease in construction standards to reduce costs, posing safety concerns.
An industry insider, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that the situation of bid rigging among Hong Kong engineering companies has been severe for over a decade. He cited cases where the head of a construction company was immediately warned in a bid and had to withdraw due to the threat of reprisal. He lamented that there are fewer and fewer quality companies today. Under such opaque practices, the bidding results inevitably favor “the same companies.” He expressed frustration that the industry’s ecosystem is “very unhealthy” now. Hong Ye Company, responsible for the exterior wall project at Wang Fuk Yuen, is a well-known bidding “champion” in the industry, taking on many projects.
The insider mentioned that there are prevailing incidents of cutting corners or using substandard materials in the industry. Many winning companies even prolong the project duration to extract more money from the property owners, compensating for the low bid profit, resulting in numerous such incidents.
The reports indicted that Hong Ye Company, established for 21 years, has multiple instances of misconduct, including several violations involving scaffold safety, with records of convictions and fines. Additionally, Hong Ye Company has been involved in several lawsuits for not employing qualified staff, multiple labor safety violations, and numerous cases of engineering debt litigation.
Last Friday, on November 28, a total of 11 individuals were arrested, including the head of the major renovation contractor for Wang Fuk Yuen, directors, project managers, subcontractors, and intermediaries.
While these individuals were apprehended, the Corruption Eradication Bureau personnel searched the offices of the involved engineering consulting firm and scaffold subcontractor, as well as the residences of the arrested individuals, obtaining relevant engineering documents and bank records.
Taiwanese artist residing in Taiwan, Huang Guocai, told Epoch Times that the entire incident highlights the systemic collapse in Hong Kong, where citizens have long been voiceless in their complaints. Under the co-governance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the system has completely crumbled, rendering online reporting futile. He mentioned that while Hong Kong once had the Fourth Estate, where citizens could approach the media to lodge complaints and reveal information, the media in Hong Kong is now mostly under the control of the CCP.
According to the Independent Media of Hong Kong, on November 28, some Hong Kong citizens initiated a petition on the website Change.org titled “Thorough Investigation of the Wang Fuk Yuen Fire,” listing four major demands including continued support for affected residents to ensure proper relocation; establishing an independent investigation committee to extensively probe potential malpractice; reevaluating engineering supervision systems to avoid scapegoating; and holding government officials accountable for negligence.
Within just one day of the petition being launched, it garnered over 10,000 signatures.
On November 29, 24-year-old university student and one of the initiators of the petition, Miles Kwan, was arrested by the Hong Kong police for allegedly inciting subversion. Concurrently, the petition website was deleted.
Various major media outlets reported on this incident, sparking public outrage. Subsequently, the National Security Office in Hong Kong issued a statement alleging that during the disaster period, “anti-China destabilizing elements” incited public hatred against the government, causing “disaster to Hong Kong.” The government vowed to “crack down according to the law” on such behavior.
In response, Liang Zhen stated that first and foremost, the Hong Kong government resorts to violent stability maintenance, which is the CCP’s consistent approach. Following the 2022 Urumqi fire, a “Blank Slate Revolution” erupted in Shanghai. The Hong Kong fire is more severe than the Urumqi fire, verging on the absurd. This makes the CCP fear the emergence of a “Blank Slate Revolution” in Hong Kong. To the CCP, this is their greatest fear. People no longer trust the government, and the credibility of the Hong Kong government has collapsed.
Chairman of the Taiwan Hong Kong Association, Sangpu, stated that in Hong Kong, public opinion has not been entirely extinguished by repression but has been accumulated. Not only are democratic advocates and localists seeking democracy, even some light-blue, moderate pro-establishment individuals are feeling uneasy, questioning “why the government is offloading responsibility.” He mentioned that globally, there will be sequenced petition actions to support the four basic demands of this 24-year-old Hong Kong youth.
Sangpu believed that this sentiment would spread worldwide. Over the next one or two weeks, in Taiwan, the United States, Canada, and England, there will be Hong Kongers urging accountability. There will be prayer meetings to commemorate, Lennon Walls (Facebook in HK: “Anti-Extradition” posters), and discussions seeking accountability.
—The production team of Good News Moment.