Deadly fire raises fears about safety elsewhere in Hong Kong's high-rise skyline

HONG KONG (AP) — Uncomfortable questions are being raised over who is to blame for Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades.

As the territory mourns over the high-rise apartment fire that killed at least 156 people, anger and frustration are mounting over building safety lapses, suspected construction corruption and lax government oversight.

But bigger issues are at play. Some political analysts and observers say the tragedy could be the “tip of an iceberg” in Hong Kong, a city whose skyline is built on high-rise buildings. Suspicions of bid-rigging and use of hazardous construction materials in renovation projects across other housing estates have left many worried the disaster could be repeated.

Police and the city's anti-corruption body have arrested 15 people so far in the investigation of the renovation project at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, where the fire broke out on Wednesday. Those detained include scaffolding subcontractors, directors of a construction company and a consultancy.

“The question (one) should be asking, really is that, what happened at Wang Fuk Court, can it happen elsewhere?” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London.

Hong Kong officials initially said tests of green netting covering bamboo scaffolding at the housing complex in suburban Tai Po showed that it met fire safety codes, but highly flammable foam panels used to seal windows during the repairs, aided by strong winds, caused the blaze to spread swiftly between seven of the eight towers in the complex.

But on Monday, Eric Chan, Hong Kong’s chief secretary, said that seven of 20 additional samples collected later from the site failed to meet safety standards. Authorities said there was evidence contractors cut costs by using cheaper substandard netting along with standard materials to pad their profits, after a typhoon in July damaged some of the netting originally installed.

Some fire alarms failed to sound when the fire started, residents and officials said.

“It did open a Pandora’s box,” said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.

“You’ve got all of these issues which have been swept under the table,” Burns said. “Because of all that we now know -- or believe we know -- about bid-rigging, collusion, corruption, no fire alarms, government negligence, all of these things have come out.”

As a precaution, authorities suspended work on renovations at 28 other projects managed by the same construction company. With residents of high-rises worried, contractors were removing foam boards and netting used to cover scaffolding at other projects.

The netting “is not a one particular estate problem. It’s a much wider general problem,” said Tsang of SOAS.

Government oversight also has been questioned. Residents of Wang Fuk Court had been voicing safety concerns to the authorities about construction materials such as netting used in the renovations, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

The Labor Department said it reviewed netting's product quality certificate and found it “in line” with standards. It also said it had conducted 16 inspections at the complex since last year — most recently about a week before the fire — and had warned contractors repeatedly they had to ensure they met fire safety requirements.

As critics raise questions about government accountability, Hong Kong officials are emphasizing actions they have taken against the contractors, and aid provided to the victims.

“The focus of the people’s anger is on not so much the kinds of materials used (but the) lack of supervision and oversight from (government) departments,” said Willy Lam, a political analyst and senior fellow at The Jamestown Foundation.

Responding to public pressure, the territory’s chief executive, John Lee, said Tuesday that an independent committee led by a judge will investigate the fire. He brushed aside a question from a reporter on if he should keep his job.

“Yes, we need a reform. Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. That is exactly why we must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged,” he said, adding that the “whole building renovation system” will also be reformed to prevent any further such disasters.

Ronny Tong, an adviser to Lee, deflected questions about possible lax enforcement. “Some people have broken the law and they were deliberately trying to deceive authorities. This is not the problem of those who enforce the laws, right?”

Critics say bid-rigging and other collusion, inflated costs and a lack of transparency are common in Hong Kong projects. Multilayered subcontracting chains, which are common for big projects, raise the risks for substandard work and limited oversight, said Jason Poon, a contractor turned activist who has exposed problems at other Hong Kong construction projects.

“This is just the tip of an iceberg,” Poon said.

Hong Kong, a former British colony that was handed to Chinese control in 1997, increasingly has cracked down on dissent and criticism of the government, which is deemed politically sensitive.

A sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020 after a crackdown on massive pro-democracy protests already has effectively eliminated most public dissent. So, Beijing’s national security arm in Hong Kong and local officials moved quickly to stifle accusations of government negligence over the deadly blaze.

On Saturday, the organizer of a petition calling for officials to take responsibility for the fire was arrested by national security police, local media including the online media outlet HK01 reported.

The Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong warned that the city’s tough national security law would be imposed against “anti-China” forces who use the fire to “incite hatred against authorities."

The disaster may overshadow an election Sunday for Hong Kong's Legislative Council if angry voters stay away, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a locally based political scientist and a senior research fellow at Paris’ Asia Centre think tank. Turnout for such votes is scrutinized by Beijing as an indicator of approval of the semi-autonomous territory's “patriots-only” governance system.

“The question for the Hong Kong government is: do they care about what the people think?” Burns said. “They absolutely should. (And) if they ignore public opinion, I think, on this issue, this is a huge mistake.”

People arrive to offer flowers and prayers at the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A woman bows as she offers flowers near the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

A man consoles a woman at the site of last weeks deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks during a press conference with a darken screen in the aftermath of a deadly fire in Hong Kong on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

People pass near paper cranes placed near the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

People react as they offer flowers for the victims near the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People offer flowers for the victims near the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People offer flowers for the victims near the site of a deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Tuesday, Dec 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was set to address the nation Wednesday night and offer an update on the war in Iran, his first prime-time speech since launching strikes alongside Israel more than a month ago.

The speech will offer Trump a wide audience to articulate clear objectives for the war that could attempt to reconcile weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations — even as Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors and airstrikes pounded Tehran.

It comes amid rising oil prices, volatile financial markets and polling showing many Americans feel the U.S. military has gone too far in Iran — even as more American troops move into the region for a possible ground offensive. Trump opted not to deliver such an address closer to when the U.S. and Israel first launched attacks 4 1/2 weeks ago, and questions now remain about whether it is now too late for what he says to break through.

A White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the address and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the president will talk about the U.S. progress on achieving his goals in Iran and will reiterate his estimated timeline for concluding operations within two to three weeks.

In a social media post Wednesday morning, Trump maintained a belligerent tone, demanding that Iran stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz — the waterway vital to global oil supplies — or the U.S. would bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages.” The president has also said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz — an apparent backtrack from a previous threat to attack Iran’s power grid if it didn’t open the strait by April 6.

In another post, he claimed that “Iran’s New Regime President” wanted a ceasefire. It wasn’t clear to whom the U.S. president was referring since Iran still has the same president. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim “false and baseless,” according to a report on Iranian state television.

Speaking earlier to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting. “You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”

Hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a lengthy letter in English on his X account appealing to U.S. citizens and stressing that his country had pursued negotiations before the U.S. withdrew from that path. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” he wrote.

Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has offered shifting objectives and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional U.S. troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation abounds about why.

Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. And the U.S. could decide to send in military forces to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile — a complex and risky operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, experts and former government officials say.

Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing Iran alongside the U.S. — might play in any of these scenarios.

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war.

The U.S. has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for its nuclear program to be rolled back.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. And in a report last week by Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster, an anonymous official was quoted as saying Iran had its own demands to end the fighting, including retaining sovereignty over the strait.

In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the U.S. could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”

He warned against any U.S. attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.”

In a deal ostensibly to give diplomacy a chance, U.S. officials have given “clear assurances” that Araghchi and Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf won't be targeted, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

A cruise missile slammed into an oil tanker off Qatar’s coast Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said. The crew was evacuated and no casualties were reported. A Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai the day before, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war.

In the United Arab Emirates, a person was killed when he was hit by debris from an intercepted drone in Fujairah, one of the country’s seven emirates.

In Kuwait, the state-run KUNA news agency said a drone hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a large fire.

Jordan’s military said it intercepted a ballistic missile and two drones fired from Iran in the last 24 hours. No casualties were reported. Two drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia.

Very early on Thursday, Israel’s military said Iran had launched missiles at the country, the first time of the day.

In Lebanon, at least five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon after the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the war.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million displaced, according to authorities. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, while 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

Grambell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

A young girl is comforted by her father and Israeli soldiers as they take cover in a bomb shelter during air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missile strikes in Bnei Brak, Israel, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man feeds stray cats in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Firefighters and rescue workers work at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A firefighter extinguishes a car at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Israel's rescue teams and residents take shelter as sirens sounds next to a site struck by an Iranian missile in Bnei Brak, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A police vehicle is seen through a shattered windshield at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Two men ride scooters past charred debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)