Corruption is focus of Hong Kong fire probe

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has raised questions about corruption and negligence in the renovations of the apartment complex where at least 128 people died.

- CHAN HO-HIM AND HUIZHONG WU

An intense fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s northern suburbs Wednesday afternoon, with flames covering seven of the eight towers. The complex was home to about 4,800 residents, some of whom had raised safety concerns about the renovations more than year before the fire.

Police on Wednesday arrested three men from a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter and gross negligence. They were released on bail but then rearrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the authority said Saturday night, pointing to their leadership role in the renovations. The commission had also previously arrested seven men and one woman associated with the project.

Police have not identified the company where the suspects worked, but documents posted to the home owners association's website showed that Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. was in charge of renovations. Police have seized boxes of documents from the company, where phones rang unanswered Thursday.

Officials also said they were investigating the materials used — the netting on the scaffolding and the foam panels covering windows — and what role they may have played in the blaze.

For almost a year, some residents at Wang Fuk Court had been raising safety concerns to Hong Kong authorities about the scaffolding materials being used in the renovation, according to documents reviewed by the Associated Press, specifically about the netting that covered the scaffolding.