Hong Kong Tai Po Fire: URA Witnesses Testify at Inquiry into Deadly Blaze

An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po blaze holds its 21st day of evidential hearings on Thursday, with three witnesses from the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) set to give evidence. The tragedy at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate on November 26 last year claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.

The hearings come as scrutiny intensifies over the URA’s oversight of fire safety standards and potential conflicts of interest involving consultants hired for renovation projects. Concerns have been raised that a lack of price checks by the URA allowed “unscrupulous consultants” to exploit the system, according to reporting from the South China Morning Post.

URA’s Oversight Questioned

The committee is examining whether inadequate fire safety measures and a failure to address residents’ complaints contributed to the severity of the fire. The blaze, which broke out while Wang Fuk Court was undergoing a large-scale renovation, rapidly spread through seven of the estate’s eight towers.

The South China Morning Post reported that the URA witnesses will likely face questions regarding the agency’s procedures for vetting and monitoring consultants involved in building renovation projects. The focus will be on whether sufficient safeguards were in place to prevent consultants from prioritizing cost-cutting measures over safety standards.

Specifically, the committee is expected to probe whether the URA’s lack of price controls created an environment where consultants could inflate costs and potentially compromise on essential safety features. The inquiry aims to determine if this contributed to the fire’s rapid spread and the high number of casualties.

Previous Hearing Findings

Earlier hearings revealed that residents had repeatedly complained about fire safety concerns, including the presence of flammable materials and inadequate fire alarms. A preliminary report by the government laboratory and the Fire Investigation Task Force indicated that a lit cigarette likely ignited nearby combustible carton boxes on a flat roof, initiating the blaze.

Testimony also suggested that fire alarms were not activated during the initial stages of the fire, and that attempts to fight the blaze were hampered by issues with water supply. Survivors have described chaos and lasting guilt, recounting failures in safety systems that may have cost lives.

Ongoing Investigation

Justice David Lok Kai-hong, the committee chairman, has stated that the body is considering whether to apply to the city leader to become a commission of inquiry, which would grant it the power to summon key witnesses who have previously declined to provide live testimony. The committee is adjusting its probing strategies based on the investigation’s progress and the materials it obtains.

The hearings are open to the public and are expected to continue on most weekdays in April. The investigation seeks to establish the cause of the fire, identify any systemic failures, and recommend measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.