Hong Kong Buildings Department files 259 charges over repair works at fire-hit Wang Fuk Court
Hong Kong's Buildings Department has filed 259 charges against two companies and four individuals over defective repair works at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where a fire killed 168 people in November 2025. The charges include permitting the use of non-fire-retardant materials and failing to properly s
HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s Buildings Department (BD) has filed 259 charges against four people and two companies over major building repair works at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, ten months after a deadly fire killed more than 160 people and displaced thousands.
In a statement on Wednesday (Sep 9), a BD spokesperson said charges included permitting or authorising the use of defective or non-compliant materials in building works. The two companies charged were Will Power Architects Company and Prestige Construction & Engineering Company. Both were involved in major building repair works, BD said.
Will Power’s director Wong Hap-yin and Ng Yeuk, a registered inspector employed by the company, were among four individuals charged. Prestige’s two directors — Hau Wa-kin and Ho Kin-yip — were also charged. The department also said that it had removed Prestige from the register of general building contractors in February, after the firm notified authorities early this year that it had ceased to be a registered general building contractor.
Other charges included failing to properly supervise repair works, among other offences, BD said. Under Hong Kong’s Buildings Ordinance, any person directly concerned with minor works who permits the use of defective or non-compliant materials commits an offence. A person who carries out, authorises or permits minor works to be carried out in such a manner that causes injury to any person or damage to any property faces a maximum penalty of HK$500,000 (US$63,765) and 18 months’ imprisonment.
Investigations found that Ng, who had been employed by Will Power Architects Company, failed to properly supervise the prescribed repair works and failed to ensure that the buildings were “safe”. Both firms were also suspected of having permitted or authorised the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting, canvases and foam boards to cover windows during works, BD said. Fireproof windows at emergency staircases were also removed to create openings for easy access, which were covered with non-fire-retardant materials, BD added.
Hong Kong’s Labour Department also filed 25 charges against related parties on Wednesday. These included the contractor, a project consultant as well as an individual under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, in connection with the deaths of five contractors’ staff during the fire.
The fire, which broke out in November at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidised housing estate in Tai Po district, was one of the deadliest in Hong Kong’s history. It lasted almost two whole days and took 2,300 firefighters to put out. It killed 168 people, including a firefighter, and left thousands of residents homeless. Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee ordered the creation of an independent committee to investigate the cause of the fire.
