A Hong Kong man who lost his wife in the deadly Tai Po fire in November has criticized the government for “evading responsibility”, telling a public inquiry it failed to reflect on “deep-rooted bad habits”.
Yip Ka-kui, a Wang Fuk Court resident whose wife died in the massive fire that broke out on November 26, testified before an independent committee on Monday.
He expressed his hope that the public inquiry can reveal the truth behind the fire and seek justice for the residents.
The inquest heard the couple were at home in Wang Tai House when the fire broke out in the adjacent Wang Cheong House.
CCTV footage showed Yip entering the lift at 3.03pm to investigate, while his wife remained in their flat. After seeing flames on the ground, Yip was blocked by a police officer from returning to his building, and he called his wife for the first time, asking her to leave.
Within minutes, the fire spread and the front door to Wang Tai House was engulfed in flames, Yip recalled. He called his wife a second time, asking her to stay inside to escape.
Authorities found his wife’s body two days later, according to his testimony. Meanwhile, Yip heard from neighbors on the same floor that his wife had spent time knocking on doors to alert other residents of the fire.
“It was a simple act that I believe any of our neighbors would have done,” he said in Cantonese.
‘Do less, make less mistakes’
Yip said that, during previous public inquiry sessions, he heard many residents expressing a sense of guilt. “I also think I didn’t do enough. Maybe, if I had called my wife a minute ago, she would have been safe,” he told the hearing.
“But I also saw (during the investigation) that the people who should be held accountable spared no effort to avoid them,” he said.
“The the government adviser made me feel that some deep-rooted bad habits – such as following the old book and ordinary procedure, or pretending that the law does not require (action) – are still standard for civil servants.”
Calling the bureaucracy a “do less, make less mistake” culture, he said: “If this doesn’t change, how do you give residents a proper explanation?”
Yip said that, in February 2025, he and several residents lodged a complaint with the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) about what they saw as a “flawed” contract for a major renovation at Wang Fuk Court.
But URA — which facilitates urban redevelopment by providing subsidies — asked them to take their complaint to the consulting firm overseeing the renewal, saying the matter was outside its remit, Yip said, citing the property management committee’s account at the time.
“The point is that the consulting firm was the subject of our complaint,” he said. “What can we do if you ask us to return to them?”
In response, URA lawyers told the inquiry that the authority had provided a written response to residents following the complaint, which addressed some of the residents’ concerns. That email response can be submitted as evidence later, they said.
Complaints to FSD
Also testifying on Monday, Wang Tai House resident Lam Yin-ming, who lived next door to the Yips, said it was Mrs Yip who alerted him to the fire and urged him to leave.
“This should not happen to someone as kind as Mrs. Yip,” Lam said in Cantonese, breaking into tears.
Wang Chi House resident So Hiu-fung, who lost both his parents in the fire, testified that he contacted the Fire Services Department (FSD) twice about potential fire hazards after the renovation contractor installed foam boards to protect the windows from debris falling into the living area.
Recordings of two calls So made to the department were played during Monday’s hearing, in which FSD officers said there were no fire safety regulations covering building materials used to protect windows. On the second call, the officer asked So to contact the Department of Buildings, which oversees construction safety.
So said he hoped the inquiry could “plug holes” in the current regulatory system.
“Nobody wants a tragedy like this to happen again,” he said. “People need to learn a lesson.”
