The Independent Commission on the Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Fire held its first hearing on Thursday, March 19. The commission’s chief representative, barrister Du Gam Kun, stated that all life-protecting fire safety measures completely failed due to human factors. Some residents believe the government is fully responsible for the fire, and Chief Executive John Lee should bow and apologize.
On March 19, the Independent Commission on the Wang Fuk Court Fire held its first hearing at the Central Exhibition Hall, chaired by High Court Court of First Instance Judge and commission chairman Luk Kai Hong, with members Chan Kin Bo and Au Yeung Pak Kuen also presiding. Barristers representing various parties attended, including Du Gam Kun and Li Shu Huan for the commission, Sun Jing Gan for the government, and Tam Chun Kit for residents. Wang Fuk Court’s current owners’ corporation chairman, Xu Man Gam, was also present.
The first round of hearings consists of eight sessions, each offering approximately 360 public seats, about half of which are prioritized for Wang Fuk Court residents.
According to Now News, the hearing opened with a statement by commission representative barrister Du Gam Kun. He explicitly pointed out that almost all life-protecting fire safety measures failed due to human factors, including the fire alarm systems in seven buildings being turned off, windows in staircases and corridors removed, fire hoses disabled for months by the contractor, scaffolding nets replaced from fire-retardant to non-fire-retardant after two No. 10 typhoon warnings, and unit windows sealed with foam, allowing the fire to spread inside.
Du Gam Kun noted that someone was smoking at the construction site, the suspected fire source at the Guangjing platform of Hong Cheung Court. Even when residents complained, their concerns were ignored. A video shown at the hearing captured a worker shouting, asking who was smoking and burning nearby items, while another voice replied not to shout. Later, a worker shouted that there was a lot of smoke, and someone responded that they weren’t smoking.
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He said the commission collected over one million documents, providing sufficient material to ascertain the facts, including communications between contractors admitting the use of non-fireproof scaffolding nets, records of residents’ complaints about major repairs and the responses from contractors and government departments, testimonies from hundreds of residents, security guards, and firefighters, as well as CCTV footage from the day of the fire.
Residents: Government is fully responsible, John Lee should apologize
According to Hong Kong 01, resident Mr. Ho, who attended the hearing, said he felt heartbroken after hearing recordings and watching clips. He pointed out that the fire was very likely caused by someone smoking. He said, “It is highly likely that workers were smoking. They probably turned off the alarms for convenience. Most alarms were off; only those in Hong Yan and Hong Sun sounded—everything else failed.” He added that residents had repeatedly complained about workers smoking, “Since scaffolding went up in July 2025, people were smoking. Many instances were recorded on video.”
He also noted that multiple clips were shown at the hearing, including footage of smoking, attempts to fight the fire, and fire systems completely failing. Many emergency call recordings were also played; he described: “Some calls weren’t even answered by firefighters. Four minutes went by with no response—are the fire systems insufficient?” Regarding reports that workers didn’t alert authorities for 10 minutes after the fire started, Mr. Ho speculated that the workers may not have realized the severity.
Mr. Ho said the contractor bears the primary responsibility due to using non-compliant materials, “The scaffolding burned so fast, and wood was left exposed at window openings, causing smoke to fill all escape routes,” with windows sealed using foam panels. He also questioned: “Not only the contractor, but throughout the whole process, why were these major repairs carried out? The government’s supervision is fully responsible.” He further stated, “The government must apologize to all of Hong Kong and the residents of Wang Fuk Court. John Lee should bow and apologize.”
When asked about the hearing arrangements, Mr. Ho said that many residents were unable to attend in person and online registration was difficult. He suggested that arrangements should be improved so that more affected people can participate.
By Li Jingyao
