HONG KONG: A devastating fire that ripped through a Hong Kong apartment complex last year and killed 168 people was “preventable”, lawyers told a committee investigating the blaze in closing statements on Friday (Jul 17).
The Nov 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court was the world’s deadliest residential building blaze since 1980.
It engulfed seven of the eight high-rise blocks, which were covered in bamboo scaffolding, protective netting and foam boards for renovations.
Almost all fire safety measures failed that day because of human errors, the judge-led panel heard over five sessions since March.
The disaster “was preventable but not prevented, and foreseeable but not foreseen”, leading counsel for the committee Victor Dawes told the hearing on Friday.
Former Wang Fuk Court residents attending the hearing wiped away tears as Dawes detailed the rapid spread of the fire.
Evidence suggested the fire was likely caused by a lit cigarette that was improperly disposed of, he said.
The fire alarm and hose systems had been switched off for the renovations, and foam boards placed over the windows, blocking residents’ view, the counsel’s submissions said.
Building contractors had “knowingly created a massive fire risk” by using non-fire-retardant netting on the facade, Dawes said.
That choice “may have meant the difference between a catastrophic fire that engulfed seven blocks of the estate, and a fire which would have self-extinguished”, the counsel’s submission said.
Contractors also failed to stop workers from smoking or to properly dispose of combustible construction waste, and compromised the main escape route, he added.
The windows of staircases had been removed to let workers easily climb in and out of buildings, allowing smoke and fire to spread more rapidly.
The government “must bear a certain responsibility” for failures in the system, Dawes told the hearing.
“A disaster of this scale should not have occurred and should never occur again,” he said.