Anger swelling in Hong Kong over deadliest fire in more than 70 years

Some think leader John Lee’s focus on blaming bamboo scaffolding deflects from actual cause

The inferno that engulfed Wang Fuk Court residential compound in Hong Kong is still burning, but questions are already being asked about what the deadliest fire in more than 70 years means for Beijing’s grip on power in the city.

The death toll from the blaze, which tore apart seven of the eight high-rise apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, a residential compound home to 4,800 people, is still rising. Hundreds of people are still missing.

But as firefighters work to bring the fire under control and make progress with rescue efforts, anger is already swelling among Hongkongers about the causes of the fire.

The fire has also tapped into the social anxiety in Hong Kong around affordable housing, where sky-high property prices mean that many people live in tightly packed high-rise apartments that can become death traps when disaster strikes.

At a press conference on Thursday, Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, said the government would set up a HK$300m (£29.2m) fund to help residents and that the city’s development bureau had discussed replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal alternatives. He also said that contractors across the Asian financial hub would be given seven days to submit documents proving their use of fire-retardant materials.

But some Hongkongers are angry about the focus that has been put on bamboo as a potential accelerant of the fire. On Thursday afternoon, much of the bamboo scaffolding remained standing, with the green mesh between the poles having been incinerated.

The angry people think that blaming bamboo – which the government has already pledged to phase out from public construction works – deflects responsibility from the actual cause of the fire, which is still unknown. Bamboo scaffolding is treasured as an important part of the local heritage, and is something that distinguishes Hong Kong from mainland China, where steel scaffolds are widely used in construction.

Residents of Wang Fuk Court had complained for months about shoddy behaviour from the construction company, said Michael Mo, a former Hong Kong district councillor who now lives in the UK. He was born in the Tai Po area where Wang Fuk Court is located.

Last year, the text of an email purportedly from the Hong Kong labour department was posted on a Wang Fuk Court residents group. Responding to inquiries about the maintenance works, the email said that because the works didn’t involve open flames, “the risk of fire from the scaffolding is relatively low”. It said that the Labour Department’s regulations did not cover flame-retardant standards for scaffolding. The department has been contacted for comment.

On Thursday, police in Hong Kong arrested three people connected with the building maintenance company responsible for the estate.

Hong Kong’s corruption watchdog also said it would launch a criminal investigation into the renovation works.

Traditionally, Hong Kong has held open inquiries into major tragedies, often headed by an independent judge.

But many legal experts say that Hong Kong’s judiciary is no longer independent, especially on matters which are critical of the government.

“I don’t think the government will launch an independent committee on this,” said Mo. “They didn’t do it for Covid. If they are going to do it, John Lee would be cooked.”

Since Beijing’s sweeping crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which included many violent clashes between police and demonstrators, trust in the authorities is low.

“Ever since the wipeout of the pro-democratic camp and civil society, there is no opposition to voice out alarm bells effectively,” said Mo. He said that before 2019, there were guardrails, albeit imperfect ones, on the authorities. “In the absence of these … there is no way we can make the government more effective or accountable.”

Beijing’s response to the fire has been swift. China’s president, Xi Jinping, called for an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and minimise casualties and losses. Chinese companies including BYD, Geely and Alibaba have pledged tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in aid donations. The People’s Liberation Army stands ready to “safeguard” the city, a defence ministry spokesperson said.

Lee also hinted on Thursday that the upcoming Legislative Council elections, scheduled for 7 December, could be postponed because of the disaster. The elections were last postponed in 2020, ostensibly because of Covid, but it also served as a way to silence the pro-democratic camp. In the years since, that camp has been destroyed, by a combination of imprisoning legislators or forcing them into exile, or by disbarring candidates who are seen as disloyal to Beijing. This year’s election will be a “patriots only” vote.

Additional reporting by Helen Davidson and Reuters