A fire that killed 168 people and displaced thousands in Hong Kong resulted from systemic regulatory failures and deliberate corner-cutting by contractors who deceived oversight bodies, an independent investigating committee heard Friday as it concluded its inquiry into the November blaze at Wang Fuk Court apartment complex.
Committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes laid out how Will Power Architects Company and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. used non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting and wooden planks that blocked escape routes during a major renovation project. The materials they chose weren't just substandard. They were deadly.
Deception and Rubber-Stamp Oversight
Dawes told the committee that both companies "cut corners in the work and the materials, in addition to deceiving regulators and homeowners." Various substandard and improper practices were involved, including faked compliance inspections. Certain professionals responsible for inspections signed documents like a "rubber stamp," he said.
The non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting was very likely a key reason for the fire's rapid spread through seven buildings at the complex in the suburban Tai Po district. Having wooden planks boarding up staircase windows caused plumes of smoke in residents' escape routes.
But Dawes didn't stop at blaming private contractors. He criticized the government's reliance on an honor system in overseeing the project, saying relevant departments should bear part of the responsibility. "When faced with dishonest bad actors, the entire system collapsed," he said.
Families Demand Accountability
Several residents wept during and after the hearing for closing statements. Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the fire, said he was emotional because Dawes' statements showed he tried his best to seek answers for them, even though the final results might not be what they had expected.
Yip took issue with government arguments presented a day earlier. "Even in the face of such a massive disaster, they cannot bring themselves to take bold and decisive action to completely root out these long-standing bad practices," he said.
Lee Kwok-hung, whose mother and her two domestic helpers died, questioned the government's claim that it was deceived by contractors. "What kind of salary are they earning? And they were hired just to be deceived by people?" he said.
On Thursday, lawyer Jenkin Suen, representing the government, acknowledged some systemic vulnerabilities but said it would be unfair to say government departments were the instigators of the fire. Some professionals and contractors abused a mechanism that aimed to protect the public and betrayed the trust placed in them, he said.
Widespread Corruption Alleged
Beyond the fire's cause, the committee examined whether systemic problems and bid-rigging corruption were involved in large-scale maintenance works. Dawes said Friday that bid-rigging was common in the city and the situation at Wang Fuk Court was not an isolated case.
Jeffrey Tam, a lawyer for nine residents of the Wang Fuk Court, noted some residents decided to give evidence despite being distressed by the tragedy. "We heard some witnesses appear that they just wanted to be shirking responsibility," he said Thursday. "So sometimes I also understand why they could not hold back their anger." He added deflecting responsibility like this wouldn't help the city find out the truth.
Last month, Hong Kong authorities charged seven people, alongside Will Power and Prestige, with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the fire. Authorities alleged that the two companies and some defendants conspired together to defraud the apartment owners by concealing previous litigation records of Prestige and inflating the score given to the firm in a tender analysis report. That eventually led to Prestige being awarded the renovation project, a contract worth more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars (over $38 million), they said.
Dawes said the tragedy couldn't be explained by one simple reason because the problems were intertwined. Many of the residents now live in temporary housing.
The investigating committee led by High Court judge David Lok is expected to give recommendations after reviewing the fire's cause, potential systemic problems and whether existing regulations and penalties are sufficient. When it was set up in December, the government said the panel would submit a report in nine months. It's not known when the committee's findings will be released. Its scope of work doesn't include possible legal liabilities, which will be handled by law enforcement authorities.
Why This Matters:
The Wang Fuk Court fire exposed how weak regulatory oversight and an honor system for building safety can fail catastrophically when private contractors prioritize profit over public safety. 168 people died because companies cut corners and government inspectors rubber-stamped documents without genuine scrutiny. Thousands remain displaced in temporary housing. The investigation's findings that bid-rigging was common and not isolated to this case suggests systemic corruption in Hong Kong's construction sector that puts residents at risk across the city. Whether authorities strengthen enforcement mechanisms and hold both private actors and public officials accountable will determine if similar tragedies can be prevented. The families' anguish over government departments' reluctance to acknowledge their role highlights a broader question about institutional responsibility when market actors exploit regulatory gaps.