Head of Hong Kong Fire Services to Testify at Deadly 2025 Fire Inquiry
Director Andy Yeung Yan-kin becomes most senior official to give evidence as hearings into Wang Fuk Court blaze that killed 168 people continue
L'essentiel
- The Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin will testify on April 19, 2026 at the independent inquiry into Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948, which killed 168 people at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po last November.
- He becomes the most senior official to give evidence to date, with on-site commander Derek Armstrong Chan already defending decisions not to activate the Emergency Alert System and conceding the fire alarm should have been raised earlier.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
The November 2025 Wang Fuk Court fire is Hong Kong's deadliest since 1948, killing 168 people including one firefighter. The blaze engulfed seven of eight high-rise buildings that were under renovation at the time, displacing nearly 5,000 residents. An independent committee is conducting evidential hearings into the disaster.
The head of the Fire Services Department will give evidence on the 19th day of evidential hearings into Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, becoming the most senior official to testify to date. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin will appear before the independent committee on Friday to testify about the department's operations during the inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po last November. Tang Wing-wah, assistant director for New Territories North and one of the commanders on site, was the first to testify on the day. He recounted the challenges that firefighters faced, including falling debris that blocked the entrance to Wang Cheong House, and the need to carry heavy portable pumps to increase the water pressure at higher levels, since the booster pumps across the estate's eight buildings had been deactivated. Two senior firefighters testified before the judge-led panel on Thursday, including Derek Armstrong Chan, one of Yeung's deputies and the top commander on site during the fire. The blaze, which broke out on November 26, 2025, engulfed all but one of the estate's eight high-rise buildings, which were being renovated at the time. Hong Kong's deadliest fire since 1948 killed 168 people, including a firefighter, and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Chan defended his decision not to activate the government's Emergency Alert System, saying it was "unsuitable for the incident". However, he conceded that the level four fire alarm should have been raised earlier so that more firefighters and equipment could arrive sooner. Follow our live coverage as the hearing continues. More from our coverage: How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong's deadly inferno
Questions ouvertes
- What specific systemic failures in fire safety protocols contributed to the scale of the disaster?
- Why was the Emergency Alert System deemed unsuitable?
- What building safety regulations were violated during the renovation?
- Will there be criminal charges filed?
