Hong Kong fire came after contractor safety breaches, documents reveal

By Clare Jim, Claire Fu, Mei Mei Chu, Marius Zaharia and Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters

Photo: AFP / PHILIP FONG

Prestige Construction had history of safety violations before winning renovation contract, documents show

Wang Fuk Court residents wrongly told by consultant that Prestige had clean safety record

Homeowners repeatedly complained about costs and fire safety after Prestige won contract, tried to revoke agreement

Prestige and consultant Will Power now subjects of manslaughter and anti-corruption probes

Homeowners at the complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong's deadliest fires were incorrectly told the contractor that authorities blame for the blaze had a clean safety record, documents viewed by Reuters show.

Residents were given the assurances by Will Power Architects, which was retained by their homeowners' corporation to evaluate bids for a renovation contract, according to a PowerPoint presentation created by the consultant.

In fact, the contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., had been penalised by the city's safety regulator more than a dozen times in the seven years before it was hired by the corporation to renovate the complex, according to the agency's records, including for improperly installing scaffolding and faulty electrical connections.

The fines were issued for violations of an industrial-safety ordinance between 2016 and 2019, according to Labour Department records.

Offences under the code are typically prosecuted in