Hong Kong fire kills 44; hundreds missing as police blame 'grossly negligent' building firm

A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong apartment complex that has killed at least 44 people and left nearly 300 missing may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction firm using unsafe materials, police said on Thursday.

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Almost a full day after the fire began, firefighters were struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to intense heat and thick smoke from the fire that erupted on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said in addition to the buildings being covered with protective mesh sheets and plastic that may not meet fire standards, they discovered some windows on one unaffected building were sealed with a foam material, installed by a construction company carrying out yearlong maintenance work.

“We have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to this accident and caused the fire to spread uncontrollably, resulting in major casualties,” said Eileen Chung, a Hong Kong police superintendent.

Three men from the construction company, two directors and one engineering consultant, had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire, she added.