Hong Kong leader says 'we must uncover the truth' after deadly apartment fire, calls for building reform

Hong Kong’s chief executive said he will establish an independent committee to examine and reform the city’s building-work system as part of efforts to prevent future disasters following the deadly Tai Po fire. John Lee told reporters at a news conference Tuesday that reforms are urgently needed after at least 159 people were killed when a fire engulfed several high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district in late November. "We will overcome the obstacles of vested interests and pursue accountability, regardless of who he or she is. We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served, let the deceased rest in peace, and provide comfort to the living," said Lee. The Hong Kong leader shared that 13 people were arrested by police for suspected manslaughter and roughly a dozen others were arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption for " corrupt practices which relate to this tragedy." TIMELINE OF THE PALISADES FIRE MANHUNT: FROM ALLEGED MIDNIGHT SPARK TO FLORIDA ARREST Hong Kong’s Police Department said Wednesday they have completed searches of all seven fire-damaged buildings and identified 140 of the 159 victims. Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department said it received reports of a blaze breaking out at the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a district in the northern New Territories, around 2:50 p.m. on Nov. 26. The fire was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the most severe rating in Hong Kong, by 6:22 p.m. Photos from the scene showed the bamboo scaffolding of the towers engulfed in flames and thick, dark smoke pouring out of multiple floors. FIRE TEARS THROUGH Hong Kong HOUSING COMPLEX, KILLING AT LEAST 13 WITH OTHERS REPORTED TRAPPED Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree living in the community, told The South China Morning Post that the fire alarms failed to go off when the blaze broke out, even though the buildings were equipped with them. "If someone was sleeping then, they were done," he said. Lee told reporters the government had "identified failures in different stages," adding that officials must act decisively to close loopholes and hold those responsible to account. "The bottlenecks will be addressed. And we will reform the whole building renovation system to ensure that such things will not happen again," he said. Hong Kong’s Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said last week that the Buildings Department will review the safety rules governing scaffolding and protective nets after the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire. Hon-ho noted that the fire is suspected to have been caused by industry non-compliance rather than from bamboo scaffolding itself, though bamboo structures are less fire-resistant than metal ones.