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Officials in the city have detained thirteen people on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter related to the recent catastrophic blaze, amid increasing public outcry over the detentions of civilians calling for responsibility.

Search Continues as Fatalities Climbs

Rescue teams persisted in combing through the seven-building complex of the Wang Fuk Court residential area in the Tai Po district on the start of the week, days after the city’s deadliest fire in 75 years. The number of fatalities rose to 151 and is expected to rise higher as the operation goes on. About forty people are currently missing.

Renovations Linked to Cause of Blaze

The housing complex, housing nearly 5,000 people, had been undergoing major refurbishment that have been linked to the fire’s cause. In the aftermath, public fury has escalated over reported previous safety breaches by the construction company working at the location and poor oversight of standards, spurred on by disclosures that residents had been voicing concerns over the renovations for a twelve months.

Arrests Include Company Directors

On Monday afternoon, authorities said the anti-graft agency had detained 13 people over the disaster so far, including the executives and an engineering consultant of a construction company, and had “promptly initiated a thorough probe along the lines of manslaughter”.

Safety Failures Uncovered

A top administrator stated that 7 of twenty tested specimens of the scaffolding net used around the towers did not meet flame-resistance requirements. Initial testing had found materials were up to code, but the official said the cheaper, noncompliant netting had been installed in areas difficult to access in order to avoid discovery, labeling it a “shameful act”.

“They just wanted to make money at the cost of human lives,” the official stated.

Civilians Arrested Amid Demands for Answers

As accusations of safety lapses grow, alongside reports that government authorities had issued multiple apparently ignored cautions, residents have questioned why no officials have yet faced consequences. Instead, two civilians were reportedly taken into custody by security forces.

A person, named as a local student, was detained over an internet appeal that made “four requests” for assured assistance for the victims and accountability for those at fault, including any corrupt or culpable government officials.

Reports said the student was detained for “inciting disaffection”. Police did not verify the arrest, saying only that they “will act according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law”.

Local media also covered the arrest of a ex-local representative.

Government Statement on Arrests

Asked about the detentions, the security chief said there had been “inaccurate comments on the internet” that were intended to threaten public security. “Therefore, we must take necessary steps, including law enforcement measures,” the official told a press conference. “Operational details cannot be revealed as they concern state security.”

Public Reaction and Parallels Drawn

On local online platforms, people criticised the detention of citizens. “State security must be prioritised even if the dead are still buried in the structure,” said a comment.

Some commenters made parallels to mainland China. “There, such acts are termed ‘creating disturbances’,” said one commenter. “It’s usually met with heavy sentences. Social order overrides everything.”

Another said: “Since we are following the mainland’s approach, by dealing with the individual who asks questions, nobody will dare to ask, and therefore Hong Kong’s governance will have no problems.”

Heightened Sensitivity and Volunteer Efforts

The detentions followed advisories by security officials that they would crack down on anyone considered to be using the tragedy to incite “anti-China” feelings.

Before the arrests, officials had already begun showing heightened sensitivity to the public reaction. Following the suppression of earlier protests, public assemblies have been tightly controlled. In the immediate aftermath, community volunteers quickly organized aid operations, with hundreds of people using vehicles and transit to bring in mountains of clothes, supplies and other essentials for the victims.

However, by evening, armed police were monitoring the area, and government officials soon took over from the community coordinators.

The petition over which the student was allegedly detained was initiated on Friday evening. Its “four demands” mirrored the language of past protest movements but did not advocate political change.

The individual informed reporters that he was only “proposing very basic requests”.

“If these ideas are deemed subversive or ‘transgressive’, then I believe I can’t predict the outcomes of anything any more, and I can only do what I sincerely think is correct,” he said.