Hong Kong authorities have ordered that scaffolding mesh be removed from buildings undergoing repairs by Saturday, as investigations continue into the Chinese territory’s biggest fire in decades.

The fire last Wednesday at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex killed 159 people, with 31 still missing.

Investigators discovered that the protective netting employed surrounding the property, which had been undergoing substantial renovations, did not exceed flame retardant standards.

Bernadette Linn Hon-ho, Secretary for Development, stated that new criteria for testing scaffolding materials will be announced next week.

In Hong Kong, around 200 private residences and ten public buildings are now being renovated.

The South China Morning Post, headquartered in the territory, reports that the removal order will affect approximately 300 buildings.

“I assure the public that we will chase to the end the accountability of any contractors using substandard scaffolding mesh,” according to a report from Linn.

On Wednesday, they claimed they had concluded their searches of the interiors of all seven of the complex’s towers and would now hunt for bodies in other areas of the structures such as the remnants of the bamboo scaffolding.

“We have not finished our work,” Police Commissioner Joe Chow stated.

“As you can see… a lot of bamboo has fallen down. We still need to do some work… to see if any bodies were covered by the bamboo.”

According to Radio Television Hong Kong, 140 of the 159 remains discovered so far have been identified, including 49 males and 91 females ranging in age from one to 97 years.

A married couple in their 70s who lost their home in the flames came to the charred scene with their daughter on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

“It all happened in about an hour or two,” said the mother, who only gave her name as Leung.

She then on, “I stood there watching as one block after another went up in flames, my legs felt so weak I couldn’t stand.” When I saw it, I felt totally helpless. I still don’t understand how the fire spread so quickly, destroying one structure after another. That was terrifying.

“The bamboo scaffolding cracked and there was banging that sounded like exploding windows, the flames were completely out of control.”

Bonnie, her daughter, concurred: “We also hope the truth will come out – whether there were hidden hands behind this, corruption or any improper dealings.”

She added that samples had already been taken from the mesh for testing.

Flames spread fast across the separate tower blocks on protective mesh netting and other flammable materials on the buildings’ exteriors, according to officials.

Police have made at least 15 arrests for manslaughter while the inquiry into the cause of the fire unfolds.