At the end of November, one of the largest fires in the history of Hong Kong occurred. The fire in the residential complex Wang Fuk Court, which was undergoing renovation work, claimed the lives of at least 159 people. According to an investigation, the cause was safety violations by the contractor Prestige Construction and the residents' fears about fire safety.
Documents obtained by Reuters showed that Prestige had been fined for safety violations more than 10 times before they received the contract for the renovation of the residential complex. Residents also pointed out the use of flammable materials by the company and non-compliance with safety standards.
“Residents complained about safety violations and the use of hazardous materials. I saw people smoking at the construction site in prohibited areas,” said one resident of the complex.
Reactions and Consequences
According to the investigation, the consulting company, Will Power Architects, mistakenly informed residents that Prestige had not violated safety rules. However, official records had notes about fines for Prestige.
“We tried to terminate the contract with Prestige, but we could not due to legal risks and distrust of the new management,” said the head of the residents' supervisory board.
After the fire, the Hong Kong authorities launched an investigation and arrested three individuals from Prestige and four representatives of Will Power on suspicion of manslaughter and corruption due to safety violations. Several residents tried to save themselves by replacing hazardous materials with fire-resistant ones during the fire.
“Even knowing about the danger, we could not change the situation,” said the son of one resident who helped replace the materials.
Recently, a similar tragedy occurred in a nightclub in the Indian state of Goa, where at least 23 people died.