Anger Simmers Over Hong Kong Deadly Blaze As Beijing Warns Against ‘Disruption’

HONG KONG, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Anger over a deadly fire at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong flared further on Sunday as Beijing warned against attempts to use the disaster to disrupt the city; People in the financial district continued to mourn the more than 128 victims.

Police on Saturday detained a member of a group that launched a petition demanding government accountability, an independent investigation into possible corruption, proper resettlement of residents and a review of construction oversight, two sources familiar with the matter said.

University student Miles Kwan, 24, was arrested on suspicion of sedition in connection with the fire at the Wang Fuk Court complex in the northern Tai Po district, the South China Morning Post reported. Hong Kong police did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The online petition backed by the group had reached more than 10,000 signatures as of Saturday afternoon before being taken down.

A second petition with the same demands was started by a Tai Po resident currently living abroad.

“Hong Kongers demand truth and justice,” KY wrote in the comments section of the new online petition.

The fire, which ripped through seven high-rise residential blocks near the border with mainland China, stunned Hong Kong and authorities launched crime and corruption investigations as anger and dismay grew.

The cause of the fire, which caused the death of 128 people and the loss of 150 people, has not yet been determined.

Authorities have been on edge to prevent a wider public backlash after pro-democracy protests shook the city in 2019, prompting the imposition of a national security law by Beijing.

China’s national security authorities warned individuals on Saturday not to use the disaster to disrupt the city.

“We strongly warn anti-China separatists who are trying to ‘disrupt Hong Kong through disaster’. No matter what method you use, you will definitely be held accountable and strictly punished under the Hong Kong national security law and the National Security Protection Regulation.”

Authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the city’s worst fire in nearly 80 years as they investigate possible corruption and the use of unsafe materials during renovations at the Wang Fuk Court complex.

Rescue operations in the area ended Friday, but police said they may find more bodies as they comb through dangerous, burned-out buildings in the coming weeks.

Police officials said at a press conference that hundreds of officers deployed to search for the remains found no other bodies but rescued three cats and a turtle.

The fire started on Wednesday afternoon and quickly engulfed seven of the complex’s eight 32-storey blocks, which were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green netting and covered with foam insulation for renovations.

Donations poured in from companies large and small, as well as other groups, to help the victims.

Officials said fire alarms at the Wang Fuk Court mansion, home to more than 4,600 people, were not working properly.

The fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948, when 176 people died in a fire at a warehouse.

The city’s Labor Department said residents of Wang Fuk Court were told by authorities last year that they faced “relatively low fire risks” after complaining about fire hazards created by renovations.

A department spokesman said residents raised concerns in September 2024, including the potential flammability of protective green netting contractors used to cover the bamboo scaffolding. (Reporting by Jessie Pang, James Pomfret, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Michael Perry)