Hong Kong authorities began tearing down protective mesh netting from building sites across the city on Thursday, following a government order to urgently remove the material after it was linked to a massive fire that killed at least 159 people last week.
The directive, issued late Wednesday, requires all public and private residential buildings to strip away their renovation netting by Saturday, a move the government said was necessary “to protect public safety and put residents and businesses’ minds at ease.”
The citywide order comes as investigators probe the Nov. 26 inferno at Wang Fuk Court, a residential complex where seven high-rise towers were engulfed in flames for roughly 40 hours. Officials have said that substandard plastic mesh and insulation foam used during renovation work accelerated the spread of the fire, while faulty fire alarms failed to alert residents.
The disaster is Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades and has triggered intense scrutiny of construction practices and regulatory oversight.
At a housing estate in Sha Tin, workers moved quickly Thursday morning to dismantle the green mesh commonly used to contain debris during exterior repairs.
C.K. Lau, an 82-year-old resident of the estate, told reporters that removing the netting offers reassurance after the tragedy downtown.
“The residents feel better if they agree to take it down,” he said. “So they agreed to take it down within this week.”
With the order taking immediate effect, construction and renovation work across the financial hub is expected to pause indefinitely. Inspectors must first certify that any remaining materials meet updated safety standards before projects can resume.
Development Secretary Bernadette Linn said more than 200 private buildings and over 10 public or government sites will need to remove their netting. She added that contractors—not residents—will bear the cost of dismantling and replacing unsafe materials.
Read Also: Hong Kong Fire Investigation Launched After Fatal Blaze
Hong Kong police have arrested 21 people in connection with the fire. Among them are 15 employees from multiple construction firms, including two directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction, the main contractor at Wang Fuk Court. They are under investigation for manslaughter.
Another six individuals from the fire service installation contractor were detained on suspicion of fraud, authorities said.
Last year, residents of Wang Fuk Court—home to roughly 4,600 people—had complained about fire hazards created by renovation work. According to the city’s Labour Department, officials at the time assured them that the estate carried “relatively low fire risks.”
Facing mounting calls for transparency, Hong Kong leader John Lee has ordered a judge-led independent committee to investigate the blaze, scrutinize renovation safety standards, and recommend reforms to prevent similar incidents.