The independent committee probing the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po held its first evidential session, uncovering six human factors behind the near-total failure of fire safety measures. Leading counsel Victor Dawes SC highlighted denials of responsibility by the Labour Department, Fire Services Department, and Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit for the HK$336 million project. Details also emerged on the death of firefighter Ho Wai-ho amid the November inferno that killed 168.
The session on Thursday marked the first evidence gathering by the government-appointed committee into the November 26 blaze at the Tai Po residential complex—Hong Kong's deadliest in decades, which also saw 79 injuries including 12 firefighters.
Leading counsel Victor Dawes SC outlined six human errors contributing to lapses in fireproofing standards. Notably, the Labour Department, Fire Services Department, and Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit each denied accountability for verifying safety compliance in the HK$336 million development.
This follows the Fire Services Department's earlier formation of an internal steering committee in February to review operational strategies for mega-fires, amid ongoing scrutiny of the tragedy that claimed firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37.
