Hong Kong prosecutors charge firms and executives over deadliest fire in 70 years

Hong Kong authorities have filed 25 charges, including manslaughter, against two companies – Will Power Architects and Prestige Construction and Engineering – and seven individuals following the November fire at Wang Fuk Court that killed 168 people, the deadliest blaze in the city for more than seven decades. Directors Ho Kin‑yip of Prestige, Wong Hap‑yin of Will Power, and the firm's registered inspector Ng Yeuk were denied bail.

The city's anti‑graft watchdog has also arrested people on fraud, money‑laundering and corruption allegations linked to the renovation tendering and supervision process, bringing the total police arrests to 35 for manslaughter and fraud and 23 by the watchdog.

An independent committee inquiry heard fire‑engineering experts describe the disaster as a systemic policy failure. Professors Asif Usmani and Jiang Liming said Hong Kong’s building regulations focus on interior fires, lack strategies for high‑rise façade fires, and that the prolonged use of combustible foam board on temporary works heightened the risk. They called for a regulatory review of temporary‑work approvals.