A public inquiry into the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire heard on Thursday that fire risk management during the estate’s renovation works was seriously inadequate, including in areas concerning the status of the fire doors, safety training for contractors, and oversight.

The 43-hour blaze in the city’s Tai Po district, which claimed 168 lives, ranks among the city's deadliest. Thursday's hearing — the 13th session held by a judge-led independent committee — heard testimonies from four residents of Wang Fuk Court and two subcontractors involved in the estate’s external wall renovation.

SPECIAL PAGE: Tai Po fire inquiry hearings

Danny Fung Yiu had lived in Wang Tai House for over 40 years before losing his mother in the fire. He testified that during the renovation works, several fire doors on floors 28 to 31 — which were supposed to be kept closed to slow the spread of smoke in the event of a fire — were often left open or half-open, with some being “in bad condition”. He also presented photos showing buckets and bags of powder stacked beside the doors, blocking escape stairwells.

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Fung said that he had reported the issues to the property management company and had asked for more patrols and vigilance, but the situation did not improve. He also said that the Housing Department had no fire risk management in place, and his complaints about workers smoking illegally went unanswered.

Ng Pui-kwan, head of the company responsible for the external wall renovation of Wang Kin House, Wang Tai House and Wang Cheong House, testified that he was given safety courses that lasted "only a few minutes", with no images, videos or notes.

He said he could not recall whether basic safety rules, including the need to wear helmets and safety belts, were covered in the courses, or whether smoking bans or the use of temporary openings for renovation workers to access external walls for maintenance (known as sang hau), were covered. He also said that he was unaware of there being a dedicated emergency contact person, and that there was no daily registration or check-in system before work.

He admitted that, while workers had been instructed not to smoke near the scaffolding and protective netting, there had been no way for him to confirm compliance as up to three buildings were simultaneously under renovation, involving around 50 workers.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com