As Hong Kong mourns after a high-rise fire killed at least 151 people, anger is mounting over building safety lapses and government oversight

Hong Kong authorities rushed on Thursday to remove all mesh netting on buildings undergoing renovation across the city after the materials were blamed for fanning a blaze last week that has killed at least 159 people.

William Li has struggled with the label "hero" since helping his neighbours escape the fire which engulfed the Hong Kong block of flats he had called home since birth. Instead, he is haunted by guilt that he could have saved more people from the blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which left at least 159 people dead.

Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, on Tuesday, ordered the creation of an independent committee to investigate a high-rise fire.

The authorities quickly arrested critics demanding accountability, signaling an expansive use of the security law to silence dissent over nonpolitical tragedies.

As the death toll in the Hong Kong apartment complex fire tops 150, Chinese authorities seek to stifle criticism amid new revelations of safety violations.

Hong Kong's leader John Lee has ordered the creation of an independent committee to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 people.

Hainan Island Film Festival opens with a solemn tribute to Hong Kong fire victims, setting a reflective tone for its seventh edition.

Bank of America Corp., UBS Group AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. are among global finance firms canceling festive celebrations in Hong Kong this month as a mark of respect for those killed in the city’s deadliest blaze in eight decades.

Leung, 76, and his 71-year-old wife, both residents of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, gather with their daughter Bonnie at a nearby park where people offer tributes to victims of the deadly fire, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Joyce Zhou

Authorities say construction materials at site of disaster that killed 151 did not comply with anti-flammability standards

For many, it was already too late. Within hours, seven of the eight towers in Wang Fuk Court were ablaze. The inferno raged for nearly two days, burning victims beyond recognition in their apartments. Lee said on Tuesday that 30 people are still missing.