Tai Po Blaze Inquiry: 21st Day of Hearings as Urban Renewal Authority Witnesses Testify
Independent committee investigating Wang Fuk Court fire that killed 168 people hears from three URA witnesses amid controversy over flammable materials and regulatory oversight gaps
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- The independent committee investigating Hong Kong's deadly Tai Po blaze holds its 21st day of hearings on Thursday with three Urban Renewal Authority witnesses set to testify.
- The November 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court housing estate claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.
- Investigations have focused on flammable polyfoam boards used to seal windows and non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh that contributed to rapid fire spread.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
The Wang Fuk Court fire is one of Hong Kong's deadliest building fires. The tragedy occurred while eight blocks of the subsidised housing estate were undergoing renovations. The rapid spread of fire was attributed to flammable polyfoam boards used to seal household windows and allegedly non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh. The incident has raised serious questions about regulatory oversight of government-built housing estates.
An independent committee investigating Hong Kong's deadly Tai Po blaze holds its 21st day of evidential hearings on Thursday, with three witnesses from the Urban Renewal Authority set to give evidence.
The tragedy at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate on November 26 last year claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. The blaze broke out while the estate's eight blocks were undergoing renovations.
Flammable polyfoam boards used to seal household windows, along with allegedly non-fire-retardant scaffolding mesh, were identified as factors that contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
On day 20 of the hearings, the Buildings Department told the judge-led panel that flammable polyfoam boards should not be used to block household windows due to the fire risks they posed, adding that their use was regulated by law. However, the department said the Wang Fuk Court case did not fall within its remit, as it did not oversee government-built structures such as subsidised housing estates, which are regulated by the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) under the Housing Bureau.
A retired senior surveyor from the department also rejected the ICU's claim that there were no regulations governing foam materials and said the unit had not consulted him before reaching that conclusion.
The committee also heard that, before the fire, the department had relied on certificates submitted by contractors to assess the fire retardancy of scaffolding mesh but had no mechanism to verify those documents.
The Home Affairs Department's Tai Po district office liaison officer Or Wai-yin and then district officer Eunice Chan Hau-man were also questioned about the roles of the department and district councillor Peggy Wong Pik-kiu in decisions related to estate management and the HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project.
Worauf zu achten ist
KI-Ausblick — Möglichkeiten, keine Fakten
The committee will likely recommend reforms to regulatory oversight of housing estate renovations
Sehr wahrscheinlich · Innerhalb von Monaten
Criminal charges may be filed against contractors or officials
Möglich · Innerhalb von Monaten
Offene Fragen
- Who approved the use of flammable polyfoam boards at Wang Fuk Court?
- Why did the Independent Checking Unit claim there were no regulations on foam materials?
- What specific decisions did district officials and councillors make regarding estate management?
- Will there be criminal prosecutions arising from the inquiry?
