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Tai Po blaze probe: temporary removal of fireproof windows ‘complied with rules’

A Labour Department official has told an inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po inferno that the temporary removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages…

By Samantha Johnson / April 21, 2026
A Labour Department official has told an inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po inferno that the temporary removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages in the blaze-hit estate complied with occupational safety protocols, triggering questions on whether the interests of workers and residents are at odds.

The inquiry also heard on Tuesday that a department officer had misled Wang Fuk Court residents by claiming the fire resistance of renovation material was outside the purview of the law, and that the risk of scaffolding mesh being set alight was low.

The inferno that ravaged seven of eight buildings at Wang Fuk Court for 43 hours from November 26 last year was the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000.

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The legal team for the independent committee investigating the fire previously attributed the tragedy to six “human factors”, including the replacement of windows with movable wooden boards at the towers’ rear staircases.

Labour Department senior occupational safety officer Li Man-pong said temporary openings in the eight 31-storey buildings at Wang Fuk Court allowed renovation workers easy access to scaffolding, as a code of practice barred them from climbing along bamboo ledgers.

Li Man-pong (left) testified at the hearing on Tuesday. Photo: Edmond So
Li Man-pong (left) testified at the hearing on Tuesday. Photo: Edmond So

Committee chairman Mr Justice David Lok Kai-hong asked whether existing regulations fairly balanced workers’ welfare and residents’ safety.

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