Hong Kong files charges over deadliest fire in decades
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Hong Kong: Hong Kong filed criminal charges against seven individuals and two companies over a devastating 2025 public housing estate fire that killed 168 people.
Leading the legal actions, prosecutors filed 25 total counts of offenses, including manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.
The legal action follows a months-long investigation into the blaze at the Wang Fuk Court estate, recognized as the world's deadliest residential building fire in decades.
Investigators discovered that human error caused almost all life-saving safety measures to fail on the day of the disaster. Specifically, the main contractor, along with directors and inspectors from an involved consultancy firm, allegedly deactivated fire alarms in seven of the eight blocks, significantly restricting evacuation times.
Furthermore, the rapid spread of the fire was fueled by substandard, non-fire-retardant safety netting and foam window boards, which were ignited by a cigarette butt.
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