Tai Po blaze: no fire risk checks done for HK$336 million estate renovation

Hong Kong authorities did not conduct a fire risk assessment of a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project at Wang Fuk Court before the city’s deadliest blaze in decades engulfed the housing estate, a public inquiry has heard.Sam Keung Sai-ming, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department’s licensing and certification branch, said on Friday that authorities did not pay special attention to fire hazards at residential estates undergoing large-scale maintenance before the blaze last November.Keung, the first government official to testify before a judge-led independent committee investigating the disaster, said the department had conducted 26 visits at the Tai Po residential complex since the exterior renovation project began in July 2024.Only one was carried out on its own initiative while the rest were triggered by complaints and reports of defective or deactivated fire safety installations.During the proactive visit on October 19, 2025, officers did not realise the main power supply for the estate’s fire alarms and hosepipes had been cut off, as they were only tasked with checking the emergency vehicle exit and fire hydrants outside the estate.None of those visits concerned assessing the heightened fire risks during the renovation project.Keung said residential buildings were previously considered less risky than commercial or industrial ones and required a review only once every three to four years.He acknowledged the understanding was wrong in retrospect, saying the department had inspected all 500 buildings currently undergoing large-scale repair and fixed all defective fire equipment.On the 10th day of an evidential hearing into the 43-hour blaze that claimed 168 lives, the committee’s legal counsel also grilled the assistant director over the department’s various shortcomings in supervising fire services contractors.Keung said the department had found no issue with the suspension of fire hosepipe supply at Wang Fuk Court since April last year, as it believed prolonged deactivation was necessary for water tank maintenance works at the estate’s eight buildings.Victor Dawes SC, representing the committee, highlighted the department’s internal policy that such suspension due to major repair work should not be longer than two months without reasonable justification.Further ReadingThe protocol also required authorities to “consider to take necessary enforcement action” if they were not informed of any request to extend the shutdown period or completion of the maintenance project concerned after 60 days.Dawes highlighted that a certificate dated December 2023 showing defects in Wang Tai House’s firefighting system was only faxed to the department in August 2024. The department did not stamp to acknowledge receipt until November that year.China Status Development and Engineering, one of two fire services contractors of Wang Fuk Court, had filed 85 written applications for extending a two-week statutory limit for shutting down the estate’s hosepipes without the department ever questioning the rationale, according to the barrister.A fire station officer also said in his written statement that the contractor only notified the department in writing about the shutdown of Wang Tai House’s fire hosepipe system last October, half a year after its pipes were drained.Dawes said the legal safeguards had been rendered “completely meaningless” by the delay in processing the paperwork.Keung attributed the “unideal” situation to the large number of written applications processed by the department manually every year, adding that it would require contractors to submit digital forms to speed up the process in the future.Keung Sai-ming (centre) of the Fire Services Department testified on Friday, the first government official to appear before the independent committee. Photo: Edmond SoThe witness also revealed the department did not proactively follow up on protracted cases unless maintenance work failed to be completed in a year.“We thought explanations [for the prolonged suspension of fire safety systems] were unnecessary because our focus was whether contractors would follow through with their works,” Keung said.The committee heard that the department would propose amending existing fire safety regulations to improve oversight and enhance deterrence.The Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations stipulate a maximum financial penalty of HK$50,000 for the unlicensed operation of fire service installations and equipment, but company directors and responsible people are not subject to criminal sanction under the current legal framework.Keung said future legal amendments should allow authorities to hold individuals accountable.Regarding better oversight, Keung said the department would require fire services contractors to seek prior approval from authorities before suspending fire safety measures at premises.He said authorities intended to introduce a licence renewal mechanism to allow fire services contractors’ licences to be revoked.Other proposed amendments included fixed financial penalties for certain fire safety violations, substantially raising fines for unauthorised handling of fire equipment and expanding the department’s powers in enforcing the law, the committee heard.The hearing will resume on Monday at City Gallery in Central.