According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the decision by Will Power Architects, which supervised the renovation works at Wang Fuk Court, became public after the arrest of two company directors, along with 19 other suspects, in a police operation linked to the fire.
Several property management companies confirmed they received written and verbal notifications regarding the closure of Will Power, a key entity in a project estimated at 336 million Hong Kong dollars (about 36 million euros).
The former president of the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies, Johnnie Chan, emphasized the urgency for homeowner associations to seek legal and technical support, given the potential halt of renovation works.
Will Power shared responsibilities on the project with the main contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering, the management firm ISS EastPoint, and several subcontractors responsible for security systems, including Victory Fire Engineering.
Authorities revealed that seven of the 20 samples of protective nets collected from the affected towers failed fire resistance tests. Additionally, they noted that low-quality polyurethane foam boards used in scaffolding acted as a decisive accelerant for the vertical spread of flames.
The police have made further arrests among personnel connected to the supply and maintenance of fire protection systems, adding to the previous arrests of administrators, consultants, and scaffolding teams, all under investigation for alleged serious negligence and corruption.
Legislator and lawyer Doreen Kong warned, in statements to the SCMP, that the closure of the consulting firm may leave homeowners without real means of compensation due to legal protections that exempt these companies from direct civil liability.
Industry experts also cautioned that even if negligence is proven, the chances of recovering costs from a firm with little capital or at risk of insolvency are minimal.
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