Committee pushes reforms, thanks Wang Fuk Court residents as hearing ends – as it happened
Legal counsel for independent panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades delivers closing remarks at final public inquiry session
Victor Dawes, lead counsel for a panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, delivered his closing remarks at the final public inquiry session, wrapping up a months-long hearing into the tragedy.
The 600-page statement covered the causes of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each involved party.
The blaze that broke out on November 26, 2025, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000. The estate was undergoing a HK$336 million renovation project at the time.
On Thursday, Jenkin Suen SC delivered the government’s closing statement. It denied direct responsibility for the blaze and said private stakeholders bore the primary blame.
Speaking before the judge-led committee, Suen said that renovation contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering, consultant Will Power Architects, and its registered inspector, Wilson Ng Yeuk, had abused the regulatory mechanism, which directly led to the outbreak of the fire.
Follow the South China Morning Post’s live coverage as the hearing goes on.
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