Contractor, consultant, inspector blamed for fire

The main contractor and project consultant for Wang Fuk Court’s renovation project, and a registered inspector must bear the most significant accountability for a disastrous fire that took 168 lives nearly a year ago, an independent inquiry into the tragedy has concluded. In a 16-chapter report spanning nearly 1,200 pages submitted to the government, the committee stated that Prestige Construction & Engineering and consultancy firm Will Power Architects were fully aware of the fire risks but ignored repeated complaints and safety concerns raised by residents of the Tai Po housing estate during maintenance works. “They put the lives of all residents in Wang Fuk Court at serious risk, apparently with a view to maximising their financial gains,” the report read. The committee slammed the two firms' conduct as going far beyond oversight or negligence, noting that they used substandard building materials and unsafe working procedures, such as non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets and flammable foam boards covering building windows. The report also stated that Will Power and Prestige Construction should be held responsible for fire service installations that did not function properly on the day of the fire. The committee found that Prestige Construction and its management, including Hau Wa-kin and Gordon Ho; as well...