Hong Kong panel blames contractors, managers for fatal Tai Po fire
An independent committee found main contractor Hung Yip, consultant Hung Ngai and their managers, along with an inspector, culpable for a deadly fire at Tai Po's Wang Fu Court. They ignored safety complaints, used substandard materials and disabled fire alarms, prioritising profit over lives.
The Hong Kong government has released the findings of an independent committee established to investigate the fire at Wang Fu Court in Tai Po. The committee's report identifies main contractor Hung Yip and its responsible managers Hou Wah Kin and Ho Kin Yip, engineering consultant Hung Ngai and its responsible manager Wong Hip Yin, and registered inspector Ng Yuet as the primary culprits for the blaze and the resulting serious casualties. The report states they should face the committee's strongest criticism.
According to the report, Hung Yip and Hung Ngai were fully aware of the fire risks involved. During construction, they ignored all complaints and safety hazards repeatedly raised by Wang Fu Court residents, and their conduct was not mere oversight or negligence. They used non-compliant building materials and unsafe construction methods, and were responsible for the failure of fire-fighting equipment on the day of the fire. The committee said their actions reflected a profit-driven attitude with complete disregard for the safety of all Wang Fu Court residents.
The committee also found that other private entities bore varying degrees of responsibility for the disaster. Profit Rich Scaffolding Company Limited knew about and participated in replacing non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh with fire-retardant mesh in an attempt to pass regulatory on-site inspections, and the use of non-fire-retardant mesh endangered residents. Hung Yip hired China Development Limited as a nominal registered fire-service contractor, which repeatedly submitted closure notices to the Fire Services Department in order to comply with paperwork requirements.
The committee also named the property management company at the time, Chi Bon Hing Yip, for allowing staff who were not employees of a registered fire-service contractor to switch off the power supply to the fire alarm systems in all eight blocks. This meant no fire alarm warned residents of the fire, leading to the tragedy. The report said that Wang Tai Fire Engineering Company Limited, the registered fire-service contractor hired by the property manager, was passive and inactive in handling serious fire-safety hazards and should be criticised.