After surviving the deadliest residential building fire in the world since 1980 in Hong Kong, the survivors, between tears and anger, hoped in vain on Friday that the government would recognize its responsibility in the disaster.
The Wang Fuk Court fire, which killed 169 people, displaced thousands of residents and ravaged seven apartment towers in November 2025, “could have been avoided but was not, could have been anticipated but was not,” finally argued the lead lawyer for a commission of inquiry into the disaster.
AFP
This commission closed its work this Friday, and its conclusions should be submitted to the authorities in September.
Some tearful residents hugged each other at the end of the hearing, and many said they still hoped officials would take responsibility.
One of them, Dorz Cheung, said he felt “a feeling of helplessness” in the face of a “simply unacceptable” situation.
“Shouldn’t they take responsibility and apologize? Rather than pretend they’re not involved and wash their hands of it? “, he said.
Repeated complaints from residents of Wang Fuk Court, who denounced the fact that workers working on the renovation of the residence smoked on the construction site, had received little response.
According to Victor Dawes, lead lawyer for the commission of inquiry, evidence suggests that the fire was caused by a poorly extinguished cigarette.
The Hong Kong Ministry of Labor had carried out at least 16 inspections, but was unable to take binding action, referring some of the complaints to the firefighters, for whom this issue did not fall within their prerogatives.
“Get justice”
A blanket ban on smoking on construction sites came into force in Hong Kong on Friday.
If the government has recognized “systemic weaknesses”, particularly on the scope and frequency of inspections, it maintains that “the main causes remain fraud, inaction and deliberate omissions by private actors”.
Residents said they were disappointed that the different services were passing the buck as to responsibility for the tragedy.
The fire was “the disaster of the century,” Peggy Fung, a septuagenarian resident of the residence for more than four decades, told reporters.
She is one of around 1,700 residents aged over 65, out of a total of more than 4,600. Among the victims, 114 were aged over 65.
“People like me and my neighbors – we’re not that young anymore – why do we have to endure all this? Why can’t the government be a little braver and do something? » said Ms. Fung.
“The final regulatory responsibility always lies with the government,” said Harry Leung, one of the last residents to flee the day of the fire.
“All I ask is that they say ‘sorry, it was our fault’ and take responsibility,” he added. “This is not an unreasonable request. »
“If they had made an effort, this incident would not have happened,” said Betty Ho, who has lived in Wang Fuk Court for more than thirty years.
Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the fire, said the government “should recognize its mistakes and learn from them before it can make changes.”
The submission of the commission’s conclusions would be “the starting point to establish the truth and obtain justice” according to Mr. Yip.
