A fifth-alarm fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po district, on Nov 26, engulfing seven residential blocks and claiming at least 159 lives, including that of a firefighter.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu immediately activated the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre, chaired a cross-departmental meeting, and visited victims at Tai Po Community Centre and Prince of Wales Hospital.
The same evening, President Xi Jinping extended condolences, calling for all-out rescue efforts to minimize loss of life.
On Nov 27, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced a HK$300-million ($38.46- million) relief fund and established three task forces to oversee investigation, fundraising and housing. Multiple departments swiftly arranged temporary shelters and transitional housing for affected residents.
Civic aid was quickly mobilized, with the Hong Kong Red Cross and the Salvation Army opening service centers and providing psychological support. A coalition of 50 nongovernment organizations and 300 social welfare workers offered counseling services, housing and supplies. The Hong Kong Jockey Club pledged HK$100 million, while the Community Chest allocated HK$50 million. Private charities and citizens also contributed.
The collective response underscored Hong Kong’s resilience and spirit of solidarity.
The massive fire has created many problems that need to be followed up on, such as transitional housing for the victims, livelihood challenges for bereaved families, psychological treatment for survivors, rebuilding destroyed flats, and insurance and compensation responsibilities.
More importantly, lessons must be drawn to prevent future incidents causing heavy casualties and property losses. These involve regulating the construction industry, multilayer subcontracting, and tendering practices in private building maintenance. They are systemic, industry-wide and social problems already widely discussed.
If the city is likened to a human body, the Tai Po disaster is akin to stomach hemorrhage – a warning that a full health check is needed to uncover other hidden risks. On Nov 29, the State Council ordered nationwide inspections of fire risks in high-rise buildings, especially those undergoing façade renovations or interior works.
Structural safety in Hong Kong’s older districts remains a pressing concern. Since the 1960s and 70s, many mixed-use blocks in the Yau Tsim Mong district had been converted into nightclubs or saunas. Some renovation firms had illegally altered load-bearing structures by removing columns or walls, ignoring approved plans, and even falsifying completion drawings. After those businesses had closed, the structural changes were rarely restored.
This concern is not alarmist. Veteran contractors will attest that such cases are known. With buildings aging, suspected unauthorized alterations, combined with deteriorating concrete and steel, could trigger collapses. If so, these multistory mixed-use buildings could become the source of another urban disaster. The SAR government should audit records of buildings once converted into nightclubs or saunas to check for illegal alterations. Such proactive measures, akin to recent Housing Department asset checks on public housing tenants based on luxury car ownership, would be pragmatic and effective.
Comprehensive inspections of all old buildings would overwhelm government manpower. A practical solution would be to require owners of flats in buildings over 40 years old and higher than 20 stories to purchase fire insurance for their units, common areas and third-party liability.
Before issuing policies, insurers would demand professional risk assessments and certificates of fire and structural safety. This would harness market forces to accelerate safety checks and risk evaluations of the city’s high-rise stock.
The SAR government has set up a cross-departmental investigation team to review current practices in external wall repairs, including the use of bamboo scaffolding and protective nets, and to consider whether metal scaffolding should replace bamboo in future. Such studies must be scientific and pragmatic, lest bamboo scaffolding – a heritage craft – would be unfairly driven out.
The Wang Fuk Court fire is not only a human and financial disaster, but also a blow to the SAR’s international image. Nearly 5,000 residents must be rehoused and 2,000 flats rebuilt, consuming vast fiscal resources. Homeowners have lost more than HK$10 billion in assets, while government departments face heavy workloads, draining administrative and human resources, and slowing socioeconomic development.
Investigations should proceed on multiple fronts covering construction safety, material standards, corner-cutting, regulatory lapses and industry malpractices. At the same time, Hong Kong must conduct a broader “body check” of its urban safety risks and adopt measures to protect lives and property.
The author is chairman of Doctoral Exchange, a Hong Kong-based think tank.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
