Hong Kong's inquiry into the deadly Tai Po fire at Wang Fuk Court heard that the temporary removal of fireproof windows complied with regulations. Panel chairman Mr Justice David Lok Kai-hong questioned whether existing rules fairly balance workers' welfare and residents' safety. The inferno, which lasted 43 hours starting November 26 last year, killed 168 people in the deadliest blaze since 1948.
The independent committee's public evidential hearing on Tuesday heard from Labour Department senior occupational safety officer Li Man-pong. He said temporary openings in the eight 31-storey buildings at Wang Fuk Court allowed renovation workers easy access to scaffolding, as a code of practice barred climbing along bamboo ledgers. This complied with the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations.
Li Man-pong added that a department officer had misled Wang Fuk Court residents by claiming the fire resistance of renovation material was outside the law's purview and that the risk of scaffolding mesh catching fire was low. The committee's legal team previously attributed the tragedy to six "human factors", including replacing windows with movable wooden boards at the towers' rear staircases.
Committee chairman Mr Justice David Lok Kai-hong asked whether existing regulations fairly balanced workers' welfare and residents' safety. The inferno ravaged seven of eight buildings for 43 hours from November 26 last year, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000.
The hearing is probing the fire's causes and regulatory gaps at the Tai Po estate.
