Worried residents of a Hong Kong housing estate are demanding a halt to a planned renovation project following last month’s deadly fire at nearby Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po after a man arrested earlier was linked to its consultant for the scheme.
Wang Fuk Court was undergoing renovations when the inferno swept through seven of its eight scaffolding-clad residential buildings, killing 161 and leading to the arrest of 23 people in connection with the blaze.
Tensions were high at a homeowners’ meeting on Saturday as around 200 Fu Shin Estate residents gathered to question the owners’ corporation and representatives of Sky Arashi Architects and Surveyors Consulting, the consultancy chosen for its renovation project.
“This isn’t a question of money any more; it’s a question of life,” one resident said at the meeting. “Over 100 lives were lost [at Wang Fuk Court] – don’t you feel it’s a tragedy? … Why are we continuing so urgently?”
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The estate, completed in 1985 with around 5,000 flats across six blocks, is slated for major renovations under the government’s Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme. Under the scheme, owners of buildings over 30 years old are legally obliged to carry out prescribed repair works if a registered inspector finds defects.
Residents of Fu Shin Estate, which is just 800 metres north of Wang Fuk Court, began scrutinising their own renovation documents following the fire and discovered the name of Steve Wong Chung-kee listed under the company profile of Sky Arashi.
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