Hong Kong authorities said Monday that unsafe scaffolding netting used in apartment renovations played a critical role in a fire that killed at least 151 people at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex last week.
The blaze began Wednesday on the lower levels of a building undergoing external renovations in the Tai Po suburb. It rapidly escalated, tearing through polystyrene window panels and spreading to seven of the complex’s eight apartment towers. The fire, which was not fully extinguished until Friday, has left dozens unaccounted for and destroyed homes for thousands.
Initial tests of the nylon netting covering bamboo scaffolding showed compliance with Hong Kong fire-safety codes. But further investigation found that 7 of 20 samples failed to meet safety standards, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said at a press briefing. ”They just wanted to make money at the expense of people’s lives,” Chan told reporters, suggesting contractors had knowingly cut corners.
Chris Tang, Secretary for Security, said the new findings were made possible once firefighters gained access to previously unreachable sections of the buildings. “Because the fire is now out, we have been able to get to places that were not easily accessible before to take samples,” he said.
Authorities said Hong Kong’s Labour Department had conducted 16 inspections of the renovation site since July 2024 and had issued multiple written warnings about noncompliance with fire regulations. The last inspection occurred just one week prior to the fire.
The Wang Fuk Court complex housed approximately 4,600 residents. As of Monday, 683 displaced residents had been placed in local hotels and hostels, while another 1,144 had moved into transitional housing. Two emergency shelters remained open.
Tsang Shuk-yin, head of the Hong Kong police casualty enquiry unit, said teams had combed through five burned buildings and retrieved eight additional bodies, including three firefighters previously located but not yet recovered. “We will have to wait until we get through all seven blocks before we can make a final report,” Tsang said.
In response to the disaster, public donations surpassed 900 million Hong Kong dollars (US$115 million), and the government added 300 million Hong Kong dollars (£38.5 million) in start-up relief. The funds will go toward housing, rebuilding, and funeral costs, according to local officials.
Public frustration has intensified over government accountability. Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a research fellow at the Paris-based Asia Centre, told France 24, “People are angry and think that the HK government should be accountable.”
The territory’s Independent Commission Against Corruption has arrested 11 people, including construction company directors and an engineering consultant. Critics have questioned whether government officials should also be investigated.
Authorities have pushed back against growing dissent. Tang dismissed several circulating claims as misinformation, saying, “There are rumours being spread by bad people giving fake news about the firefighters not employing the correct tactics to fight the fire, or victims being charged 8,000 Hong Kong dollars a night to stay in hotels – these are all false.”
On Saturday, the Office for Safeguarding National Security condemned what it described as “evil schemes” seeking to exploit the disaster, though it provided no specific examples. That same day, police arrested a man who organized an online petition demanding government accountability, local media reported. Two others, including a volunteer relief worker, were also detained on Sunday.
Police declined to comment directly on the arrests, telling The Associated Press that “police will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law.”
Hong Kong has imposed severe limits on dissent since mass protests in 2019 over a proposed extradition law. The city now severely restricts public demonstrations and bars many opposition figures from holding political office.
