An independent inquiry revealed that government surveyors missed major fire hazards at a recently destroyed Hong Kong housing complex. The failure was attributed to outdated inspection guidelines that did not require checking renovation work in person.

Government surveyors failed to detect major fire risks at a housing complex destroyed in Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades because they were following outdated guidelines that did not require in-person inspections of renovation works, a public inquiry has heard. The independent committee was told on Monday that illegal alterations to Wang Fuk Court’s emergency passages during the HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) overhaul of the estate’s exterior could have been discovered sooner had...