An independent committee probing the root cause of the most fatal fire in Hong Kong in decades discussed how improper practices, which circumvented regulatory oversight, escalated a minor fire into a calamity as the investigation neared its end on Friday. The November inferno swept through seven buildings of an apartment complex, claiming 168 lives and displacing numerous residents at Wang Fuk Court in the suburban Tai Po district, with many now residing in temporary accommodations.
The committee’s principal attorney, Victor Dawes, highlighted the probable pivotal role of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting in the rapid spread of the fire at the complex, undergoing extensive renovation when the blaze erupted. He noted that the use of wooden planks to seal staircase windows resulted in smoke obstructing residents’ escape routes. Dawes pointed out that Will Power Architects Company, a consultancy, and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., the project’s primary contractor, compromised on work quality and materials, while also misleading regulators and homeowners.
Various substandard and inappropriate practices, including falsified compliance inspections, were identified. Dawes criticized the government’s reliance on an honor system for project oversight, suggesting that relevant departments should share the blame. He underscored that the entire system collapsed in the face of dishonest actors.
During the closing statements at the hearing on Friday, several residents, including Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the fire, were moved to tears. Yip expressed gratitude for Dawes’s efforts in seeking answers, even if the final outcomes might not meet expectations. He criticized the government for failing to take decisive actions to eradicate long-standing malpractices, despite the disaster’s magnitude.
Lee Kwok-hung, who lost his mother and her two domestic helpers, questioned why so many individuals fell victim to deception, challenging the government’s assertions that they were misled. The government’s representative, lawyer Jenkin Suen, acknowledged systemic vulnerabilities but denied that government departments were responsible for igniting the fire, attributing the blame to unscrupulous professionals and contractors.
Apart from investigating the fire’s cause, the committee examined whether systemic issues and bid-rigging corruption played a part in large-scale maintenance works. Dawes highlighted the prevalence of bid-rigging in Hong Kong, emphasizing that the situation at Wang Fuk Court was not an isolated incident. Last month, authorities charged seven individuals, along with Will Power and Prestige, with manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud in connection with the fire.
Dawes emphasized that the tragedy’s complexity stemmed from intertwined problems, indicating that the investigating committee, led by High Court judge David Lok, would propose recommendations after evaluating the fire’s origins, potential systemic flaws, and the adequacy of existing regulations and penalties. The government had initially set a nine-month deadline for the panel to submit a report in December, but the release date for the committee’s findings remains unknown. Legal liabilities will be addressed by law enforcement entities, as they fall outside the committee’s scope.
