Hong Kong authorities have laid their first charges following a months-long investigation into the deadliest residential fire in the city’s history.
Seven people and two companies have been charged with 25 offences, including manslaughter and conspiracy, over a catastrophic fire that ripped through the residential community of Wang Fuk Court in November, killing 168 people.
The seven individuals charged all played different roles in a US$42.9 million renovation project at the time of the fire. The Will Power Architects, which consulted on the renovations, and the main contractor, Presidge Construction and Engineering, were charged with manslaughter.
Three current and former directors of the companies were among the defendants, authorities said, including Will Power director Wong Hap-yin, who faces 16 counts, and the company’s registered inspector, Wilson Ng. Wong’s wife and a friend were also charged.
In total, 25 charges were brought against the defendants, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, tax evasion, money laundering and attempting to pervert the course of public justice. The charges were brought by Hong Kong police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The case will be heard at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court in September. Two of the seven individuals have reportedly been granted bail while the rest are still in custody.
An independent inquiry found serious lapses in safety compliance that accelerated the fire, which destroyed seven high-rise buildings and burned for more than two days. Fire alarms in seven of the eight buildings in the residential complex were disabled, and combustible foam boards covered the windows.
Lee Chun Ho, who lost his mother, brother, 15-month-old niece and the family’s live-in maid in the fire, recalled at a public inquiry in April trying to desperately keep them awake while they were trapped in their home on the 19th floor.
He overheard rescuers saying they were hindered by the flames. “We can’t break through the 14th floor. The fire is too big,” he recalled them saying.
Lee watched desperately as his brother lost consciousness while his sister-in-law shouted into the phone, The Hong Kong Free Press reported . “I vow to speak up for (my family) for the rest of my life. This anger and despair… come from my mother, my brother, Yan-yan (his niece), and our worker,” he said.
Lee said his mother had complained about the high price tag of renovations to ICAC and to Prestige about workers smoking during their shift. Residents raised concerns for more than a year about non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting used during renovations, according to the Associated Press.
The inquiry’s findings are expected to be filed later this year.
“These construction arrangements are suspected of having seriously compromised the building’s fire safety, causing the fire to spread rapidly and obstructing escape routes, resulting in a large number of casualties,” Supt. Basil Tang Yick-kay said on Wednesday, according to a translation by South China Morning Post.
The Fire Investigation Task Force has said an ignited cigarette likely caused combustible material to catch fire, sparking the blaze. Thousands of Wang Fuk residents were displaced by the fire and moved to temporary housing, the AFP reported.
“We suspect that this unfortunate incident was caused by individuals acting in their own self-interest… with complete disregard for the safety of residents’ lives and property,” ICAC’s principal investigator Hazel Law told reporters, according to AFP. The anti-graft watchdog found that some of the defendants filed false reports about the renovation project.
Victor Dawes, the inquiry’s lead counsel said earlier this year that the deactivated fire alarm had “greatly shortened the time for residents to evacuate.”
National Post
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