{"id":6033,"date":"2026-07-15T09:03:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6033"},"modified":"2026-07-15T09:03:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T09:03:56","slug":"committee-hears-final-arguments-in-probe-of-hong-kongs-deadliest-fire-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6033","title":{"rendered":"Committee hears final arguments in probe of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest fire in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

HONG KONG (AP) \u2014 An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest fire in decades began hearing final arguments Wednesday as the inquiry moves toward a conclusion. <\/p>\n

Read more Man charged in deadly RDU shuttle bus crash out of hospital, set to appear in court Wednesday<\/a><\/p>\n

The November fire engulfed seven buildings of an apartment complex, killing 168 people and shattering the close-knit community of Wang Fuk Court, which housed thousands of people in the suburban Tai Po district. <\/p>\n

Former residents and relatives of the deceased have been waiting for answers from the committee, which was established in December by the Hong Kong city government with an expectation that the work would take nine months.<\/p>\n

Lawyers representing residents, the government and the committee are expected to lay out their arguments before the hearings conclude Friday. <\/p>\n

The scope of the panel does not include possible legal liabilities for those linked to the fire\u2019s outbreak, which will be handled by law enforcement authorities. <\/p>\n

Committee has heard testimony about multiple factors in fire<\/h3>\n

The three-member committee is led by High Court Judge David Lok and includes Chan Kin-por, a member of the city\u2019s Executive Council, and Rex Auyeung, who serves on the Hospital Authority Board.<\/p>\n

When the hearings began in March, committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the evidence showed multiple factors contributed to the disaster, from fire alarms and hose systems being shut off to the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting and covering windows with foam boards. <\/p>\n

Lawyer Martin Ho, representing ISS EastPoint Properties, said the property management company\u2019s in-house electrician inadvertently switched off the fire alarm system when emptying water tanks. <\/p>\n

The mistake was regrettable but could have been avoided if the complex\u2019s fire service installation contractor had been present during the process, Ho said.<\/p>\n

Another installation contractor later noted the issue but did not follow up properly, Ho said, adding that a director of that contractor pointed to the industry\u2019s mentality of not teaching other companies how to work. The lawyer called it \u201cbaffling.\u201d <\/p>\n

Aaron Chan, a lawyer for a director of one of the fire service installation contractors, said his client agreed the fire alarm system would help reduce casualties but hoped the committee could consider the window to escape might be very short and other factors. <\/p>\n

Judge David Lok, who led the committee, stepped in and asked Chan not to tell him the alarms are useless. Chan quickly denied it but said he wanted to present other factors for consideration. <\/p>\n

Read more Heat index values as hot as 107 degrees expected this week in central NC<\/a><\/p>\n

Residents say responsibility is being avoided<\/h3>\n

Some Wang Fuk Court residents who listened to Wednesday\u2019s arguments said part of those involved in the incident seemed to be trying to deflect responsibility. <\/p>\n

Betty Ho was unsure if she could learn the truth, but said she hoped the committee could find justice for the deceased victims. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll get what we hoped for in the end,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Patrick Liu said he doesn\u2019t have much expectation. <\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, everyone is just shirking responsibility. There\u2019s no need to even think about it,\u201d Liu said, adding that he learned about what had happened but he still needed to wait for the committee\u2019s report and a court trial to fully understand who should be accountable. <\/p>\n

Panel also investigating systemic problems <\/h3>\n

The committee also is examining whether systemic problems such as bid-rigging have occurred in Hong Kong\u2019s large-scale building maintenance and renovation works. The panel is expected to give suggestions after reviewing the fire\u2019s cause, potential systemic problems and whether existing regulations and penalties are sufficient. <\/p>\n

A representative of the Competition Commission, an antitrust organization, on Wednesday said bid-rigging groups existed in the city and in some cases were associated with criminal groups known as triads.<\/p>\n

Former residents, government officers and experts have given evidence in previous rounds of hearings. CCTV footage, documents and records of text messages also were used as evidence.<\/p>\n

Criminal charges filed over fire <\/h3>\n

Hong Kong authorities charged seven people and two companies in June with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud over the fire. <\/p>\n

The companies include Will Power Architects Company, a consultancy, and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., the main contractor involved in a major renovation project at Wang Fuk Court at the time of the blaze.<\/p>\n

Authorities alleged the people in charge of the renovation project and the relevant companies were seriously negligent in monitoring the materials used in the project and the procedures involved. <\/p>\n

They also alleged the two companies and some defendants conspired to defraud Wang Fuk Court apartment owners by concealing previous Prestige litigation records and inflating the firm\u2019s score in a tender analysis report.<\/p>\n

Read more Wheels are rolling on DIY skate park at Raleigh\u2019s Jaycee Park<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HONG KONG (AP) \u2014 An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest fire…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCommittee hears final arguments in probe of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest fire in decades - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6033\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Committee hears final arguments in probe of Hong Kong\u2019s deadliest fire in decades - 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