Supplier says subcontractor ordered non-fire-retardant nets before Tai Po blaze
A scaffolding subcontractor at Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court estate ordered batches of non-fire-retardant protective nets, a supplier has confirmed, with the use of substandard mesh identified as a key factor in the deadly blaze’s rapid spread. The statement from supplier Lam Kee Construction Materials was among the documents released on Wednesday by the independent committee…
Lam Kee Construction Materials, a supplier, has confirmed that a scaffolding subcontractor ordered non-fire-retardant protective nets before the deadly blaze at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court estate. The independent committee investigating the causes of the fire identified the use of substandard mesh as a key factor in the rapid spread of flames.
The blaze, which killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents, is Hong Kong's deadliest in decades. Gain Profit Shed Industry, the subcontractor responsible for erecting the scaffolding, had received orders for protective nets from Lam Kee, but it is unclear if they were used at the estate. The fire-retardant mesh reportedly cost nearly double the price of non-fire-resistant mesh.
The committee's counsel and expert witnesses have consistently attributed the spread of the fire to the use of non-compliant scaffolding mesh.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
