Deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze inquiry focuses on smoking violations & safety lapses before tragedy

發佈日期: 2026-03-19 20:08

TVB News

粵

已複製連結

The public hearing into the Wang Fuk Court deadly blaze has turned its focus on smoking violations and safety lapses before the tragedy.

The inquiry committee is now looking into whether relevant parties -- including government departments -- had identified or failed to act on the risks before the tragedy struck.

A deadly blaze -- that claimed over 160 lives -- is believed to have been caused by a discarded cigarette.

According to the counsel for the committee, the Labour Department received repeated complaints about workers smoking at the site of Wang Fuk Court as early as July 2024.

Despite the 16 inspections conducted, no violations were detected and no prohibition notices were issued.

Some complaints were referred to the Fire Services Department which considered the matter outside its purview.

But police later reviewed internal chat records among workers from the contractors and found more than 80 instances of illegal smoking with the contractor reportedly issued nearly weekly reminders and even introduced a penalty system to deter such behaviours.

The inquiry also revealed that the rapid spread of the fire may have been linked to the use of non-fire-resistant materials including scaffolding netting.

Further concerns were raised when the committee had been notified in advance of an inspection by the government's independent audit team.

The contractor then arranged for compliant fire-retardant netting which was not used just before the inspection.

Residents expressed disbelief after the hearing.

This resident says it's ridiculous that safety was compromised for profit and if the allegations are true, those responsible show a disregard for human life.

This resident calls for accountability saying justice must be served for the victims.