Tai Po blaze: no fire risk checks done for HK$336 million estate renovation

Hong Kong authorities did not conduct a fire risk assessment of a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project at Wang Fuk Court before the city’s deadliest blaze in decades engulfed the housing estate, a public inquiry has heard.

Sam Keung Sai-ming, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department’s licensing and certification branch, said on Friday that authorities did not pay special attention to fire hazards at residential estates undergoing large-scale maintenance before the blaze last November.

Keung, the first government official to testify before a judge-led independent committee investigating the disaster, said the department had conducted 26 visits at the Tai Po residential complex since the exterior renovation project began in July 2024.

Only one was carried out on its own initiative while the rest were triggered by complaints and reports of defective or deactivated fire safety installations.

During the proactive visit on October 19, 2025, officers did not realise the main power supply for the estate’s fire alarms and hosepipes had been cut off, as they were only tasked with checking the emergency vehicle exit and fire hydrants outside the estate.

None of those visits concerned assessing the heightened fire risks during the renovation project.