The Buildings Department can regulate the inappropriate use of polyfoam boards during building maintenance, a public inquiry into the Wang Fuk Court fire heard on Monday.
When the fire broke out on Nov 26 last year, all eight blocks on the housing estate were undergoing renovation work, with many windowpanes shrouded in polyfoam. This practice was earlier cited by an Independent Committee probing the disaster as a key contributor to the fire’s rapid spread and heavy death toll.
At the 20th session of the independent committee’s public hearing, Cheung Yuk-ching, assistant director of the Buildings Department, which oversees the city’s mandatory building inspection program, said no regulatory action from her department was taken against violations at Wang Fuk Court because the estate, as a public housing project, falls under the purview of the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU).
SPECIAL PAGE: Tai Po fire inquiry hearings
Cheung’s account of the use of polyfoam boards was at odds with that of ICU witnesses, the committee’s lead counsel Victor Dawes told the hearing, citing a written submission to the panel by ICU Surveyor Andy Ku Siu-ping, which said current statutory provisions contain no specific rules for their use as temporary window protection.
Ku also said in his witness statement that he had consulted Franko Tse Kam-ming, a now retired senior surveyor who was temporarily re-assigned from the Buildings Department to the ICU between April 2023 and July 2025.
That consultation, which focused on whether any regulations applied to the use of polyfoam boards, reportedly happened in September 2024. Ku said he was told by Tse that no existing fire-retardant requirements were applicable.
However, Tse, giving evidence on Monday, said he had no recollection of the conversation or of receiving related documents.
The Buildings Department and ICU also diverge on their alleged approaches to on-site inspections of scaffolding netting, Monday’s inquiry heard.
According to earlier testimonies, ICU notifies the registered inspector ahead of site inspections — a practice designed to guarantee the presence of key parties during an inspection. Cheung, however, told the committee that her department, during the audit stage, carries out unannounced spot checks, without any prior appointment with those involved.
Listen to opinions
Separately on Monday, Ko Wing-man, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee – the country’s top political advisory body -- visited a volunteer-run social space for survivors of the fire close to Wang Fuk Court.
Ko learned about the residents’ current concerns, which included a lack of clarity over long-term housing plans.
Some residents expressed concern that their new homes, set to be bought under the “flat-for-flat” option, could be far away and smaller than their former apartments at Wang Fuk Court.
Ko, who is also a member of the city’s Executive Council, said it was valuable hearing directly from the victims, adding that he will explore ways to bring their concerns to the attention of the relevant authorities.
Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com
