A fire in Lucknow has highlighted a 2016 demolition order for unauthorized construction on a building, which was controversially revoked within two months. The building, originally approved for residential use, was later found to be developed for commercial activities, a key issue in the fire investigation.
An investigation into a deadly Aliganj fire revealed the building was approved for residential use but converted to a commercial complex in 2014. Authorities are preparing a list of officials and engineers for alleged lapses in monitoring building regulations.
Four Hong Kong fire department officers testified Wednesday before an independent committee investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire that killed 168 people on November 26 last year. The blaze, the city's deadliest since 1948, destroyed seven of eight buildings and displaced 5,000 residents. Testimony revealed a conflict between worker safety laws prohibiting scaffolding climbing and fire risks, with movable boards installed in emergency staircases replacing fireproof windows and causing smoke to fill exits. A Labour Department officer also admitted authorities failed to notice a contractor resubmitted an outdated fire retardancy report dated July 2024.
Former management committee member Jason Kong Cheung-fat exposes proxy vote abuse at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where a November 2025 fire killed 168 people — the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948. The HK$336 million renovation contract was awarded to Prestige Construction and Engineering in January 2024 after 570 votes were cast at a meeting attended by only 293 people, with homeowners forced to pay up to HK$180,000 per flat within six months.
