No cigarettes allowed and no one seen smoking, worker tells Tai Po fire inquiry

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The role of the management committee of Wang Fuk Court owners’ corporation is expected to be a key focus on Friday at a hearing by an independent panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, with a former chairman of the body and a construction worker set to testify.

In an earlier session, residents accused Tai Po district councillor Peggy Wong Pik-kiu of exerting an influence on homeowners to pick Prestige Engineering and Construction as the contractor for multimillion-dollar renovations at Wang Fuk Court, where the blaze broke out last November and claimed 168 lives.

Preliminary investigations found the company had used non fire-retardant scaffolding mesh while applying flammable styrofoam boards to windows during renovations, which contributed to the quick spread of the fire.

Two subcontractors on the HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) project had also admitted that they did not proactively regulate workers’ habit of smoking on the scaffolding.

Follow our live updates on the 14th day of the hearings.

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