An Independent Committee, established by Hong Kong leader John Lee to suggest preventive strategies, initiated hearings on Thursday. The focus is on the city’s most lethal fire in decades, which occurred at the Wang Fuk high-rise housing complex in Tai Po.
“Only by confronting past mistakes can the city become safer,” stated Victor Dawes, the lawyer presenting the evidence about the fire at the eight-block complex undergoing extensive renovations.
“On the day of the fire, almost all the fire safety systems that were meant to protect lives failed completely due to human factors,” he added.
The victims, numbering 168, included 150 residents, nine domestic workers, seven construction workers, a firefighter, and a visitor, ranging in age from six months to 98 years. Additionally, 37 families suffered the loss of at least two members.
During the hearing, the committee reviewed CCTV footage and public videos showing construction workers smoking on-site, along with recordings of trapped individuals reporting the fire and calling for help.
“My family member has passed away, it’s been hard to watch so many videos, it’s like witnessing the whole process,” expressed Phyllis Lo, a former resident who lost her mother in the fire and viewed the footage ahead of the hearing.
Lo, along with other residents, sought answers regarding the fire’s cause and the failure of the fire alarms to activate.
In 2024, authorities had informed residents that fire risks were “relatively low” despite their concerns about hazards from renovations, according to the city’s Labour Department.
Dawes highlighted five critical issues, including the disabling of fire alarms in seven blocks, and the removal of staircase and corridor windows to facilitate scaffolding, which allowed smoke and flames to penetrate escape routes.
Fire hydrants and hose reels were deactivated, and non-flame-retardant netting was used, Dawes noted.
He further indicated that cigarette butts were suspected as the fire’s origin, based on an inter-departmental task force report. Authorities had not adequately addressed residents’ persistent complaints about workers smoking, he added.
Investigators discovered numerous cigarette butts on scaffolding, platforms, and in light wells.
Burn marks were found on the uniform of a firefighter who perished at the scene, Dawes reported. The conditions on the upper floors were so dire that the firefighter likely removed his gear, attempted to escape through a window, and fell to his death.
Many residents and members of the public gathered early on Thursday to witness the proceedings at a public conference hall in Central.
Judge David Lok, presiding over the hearing, stated that it also aims to examine the extent of bid-rigging by contractors and developers in city building projects.
Dawes mentioned that the panel had received nearly one million files, including photographs, videos, and documents.
In response to the tragedy, some residents in the Chinese-ruled city initiated an online petition demanding an independent investigation and accountability, while authorities cautioned against politicizing the disaster with severe penalties.
