What happened
Authorities in Hong Kong have arrested three people and opened a criminal investigation after a catastrophic fire tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, killing at least 44 people and leaving another 279 missing. The blaze, which began on external scaffolding around a 32-storey block yesterday afternoon, rapidly leapt between seven of the estate’s eight towers, aided by a strong wind and flammable construction netting.
Who said what
“Police and the Fire Services Department have already set up a dedicated investigation team,” said Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, adding that the probe would assess possible criminal involvement.
Two directors and the consultant of a construction company have been arrested by police for being “grossly negligent”. The apartment complex was reportedly being renovated when the fire began. Polystyrene boards blocking windows at the site, along with substandard construction materials, may have “allowed the fire to spread so quickly”, said Oliver O’Connell on the BBC.
Deadly fires were “once a regular occurrence” in Hong Kong, said Lilia Sebouai in The Telegraph, especially in poorer neighbourhoods. But safety measures have been tightened in recent decades and “such disasters have become much less commonplace”.
What next?
Investigators will examine whether the towers’ exterior materials met fire resistance standards as the speed at which the blaze spread was considered highly unusual. Authorities have promised to continue extensive search-and-rescue operations while also pledging support for the hundreds of residents left homeless. | 
