A Fire Services Department (FSD) official has told a public hearing investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire that maintenance work on the water tanks that took more than half a year was acceptable.
Keung Sai-ming, assistant director of licensing and certification at FSD, testified at the hearing on Friday – days after the director of a fire services contractor said the firm had shut off fire hydrant and hose reel systems for months.
It was revealed on Wednesday that China Status Development and Engineering had filed a total of 85 closure extensions on the eight blocks of the property since April last year to enable maintenance on the water tank – seven months before the fire.
Keung told the independent committee’s lead counsel Victor Dawes on Friday that the FSD had never asked why the fire services contractor’s repairs were taking so long, as some water tank works had, in his experience, taken seven to eight months. No questions would be asked as long as the works were ongoing, he said.
‘I didn’t find it strange’
Keung said the contractor may have to handle tender exercises or investigate the cause of the water leak – all processes that “take time”.
Dawes then asked the FSD official if he “didn’t find it odd” that maintenance on the tanks continued for seven months. “Is this your proof?” Dawes asked Keung, who replied, “Correct.”
Keung also told the committee that the FSD would only take action after the shutdown lasted more than a year. Only about 1,000 of the 6,000 remedial works in 2024 were not completed within nine months, while most were resolved within a year, he added.
Dawes also introduced a code of practice on Friday which stipulates that the FSD can take enforcement action if a major fault is not rectified within two months.
Keung told the committee that the water tank leak was not a major defect, contrary to an internal report submitted by Dawes that indicated it was.
But Judge David Lok, who chairs the committee, questioned whether the distinction between a minor or major defect made any meaningful difference, as the fire safety facilities ended up failing in both cases.
No check in place
Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing a large-scale renovation for more than a year when the deadly fire struck in late November. The city’s deadliest fire in nearly eight decades killed 168 people and displaced thousands.
Asked if the department knew the major renovation works would come with increased fire risks due to scaffolding and facade work, Keung said he “totally disagrees”, pointing to the availability of compliant and non-compliant scaffolding grids on the market.
Keung confirmed that the department had no policy for additional surprise inspections during large-scale works and agreed that it was an area for improvement.
Addressing Dawes’ question as to why the FSD did not have control measures in place, Keung said that after the fire, the department had implemented such arrangements for buildings undergoing or about to undergo renovation works.
Earlier on Friday morning, Keung said it was illegal for staff at Wang Fuk Court Property Management Company to turn off the fire safety equipment at the apartment complex.
Keung also said the disabling of the property’s fire alarms by ISS EastPoint electrician Law Kwok-shui amounted to “misrepresentation” under Hong Kong fire services regulations.
The committee heard last week that Law unknowingly switched off all the fire alarms months before the tragedy. Law told the commission he feared he would be punished if he refused the order.
According to the regulations, only workers with a fire safety license are allowed to handle the relevant equipment.
