Renovation contractors deserve ‘strongest condemnation’ over Tai Po fire

Legal counsel for an independent panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will deliver its closing remarks at the final public inquiry session on Friday.The 600-page closing statement is expected to cover 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. coverage: