Hong Kong’s independent Wang Fuk Court inquiry identified suspected fire-safety failures and gaps across four government units as factors in the blaze’s rapid spread and 168 deaths, prompting officials to announce an oversight overhaul.
Chief Executive John Lee apologized to affected families when the report was released Oct. 29. The government said Lee and other principal officials bowed at the release. The victims included a firefighter.
The committee said investigators suspected fire-retardant scaffolding nets had been substituted with non-fire-retardant netting. It also cited foam boards and other combustible materials, along with openings in escape staircases, as factors in the fire’s spread and high death toll. The report identified deficiencies in the Independent Checking Unit, Buildings Department, Fire Services Department and Labour Department.
The government said Hong Kong’s maintenance system depended heavily on contractors and industry professionals acting with integrity. It also said large project sums attracted criminal groups seeking to manipulate bids and control the market through intimidation, fraud and corruption.
The committee made 120 recommendations. The government plans legislation against bid-rigging in building maintenance and renovation projects, a task force spanning departments and a central data system. The proposals build on Lee’s earlier reform pledge.
Lee said Housing Secretary Winnie Ho should take political responsibility because the Independent Checking Unit sits under the Housing Bureau. The government said Ho had tendered her resignation and that Lee recommended her removal. Her duties were suspended effective Oct. 29; Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong took over as acting housing secretary.
Lee said authorities would pursue criminal liability against those responsible. The Associated Press reported that Phyllis Lo, whose mother died in the fire, said the criminal trial had not begun and that Ho’s departure alone would not deliver justice.
The government said portions of the released report were redacted to avoid affecting ongoing prosecutions, and that the full report would be released after relevant proceedings conclude. A separate investigation into alleged civil-service failures is expected to finish within three months of Oct. 29, the government said.
