On the 7th day of the first round of hearings held by the Independent Committee of the 5th-alarm fire at Hong Fu Court in Tai Po, a total of 7 witnesses testified today, including several employees of the management company, Zhi Bang Xing Ye Limited, at the time of the incident.
During today’s hearing, the clerical worker from “Zhi Bang,” Lo Sin-ying continued her testimony. The senior lawyer representing the Independent Committee, Du Gan-kun, pointed out that Lo was responsible for drafting the minutes of several meetings of the corporation. It was mentioned that there were questions raised during the meetings regarding the maintenance of the fire-fighting water tank, leading to a reduction in the factory area.
Lo agreed with the points raised and added that the contractor, Hong Ye, explained at the time that there were damages or rust in the water tank or its components, affecting the quality of the water supply. It was mentioned that after tiling the fire-fighting water tank, it could temporarily serve as a water tank for consumption.
Regarding the authorization ticket issue discussed in a major maintenance meeting, Lo stated that the use of authorization tickets was common, with over a hundred tickets often being used. She admitted that staff were unable to verify the signatures on the authorization tickets, sometimes even considering a simple cross as a valid signature. The management team would typically cross-check the names and units of the residents on the tickets and follow up if any information was missing.
Lo also mentioned that residents who authorized someone to vote on their behalf would receive a legal receipt before the meeting. There were instances where residents claimed they did not authorize anyone after receiving the receipt. She would suggest clarifying with family members first and consider reporting to the authorities if necessary. However, she was unaware if any residents had reported such incidents to the police.
When asked how to enhance supervision, Lo suggested creating standard documents with homeowners’ signatures for staff to verify.
During yesterday’s hearing, discrepancies were noted between Lo’s testimony and that of another employee from “Zhi Bang” engineering department. She tearfully addressed the online comments after her testimony, expressing that memories might have been distorted due to the passage of time. She emphasized that they did not neglect the residents during the fire incident.
Du Gan-kun pointed out that there could be various reasons for discrepancies in witness testimonies and that it would be incorrect to assume dishonesty based on differences in testimonies.
Chairman of the Independent Committee, Lu Qi-kang, stated one of the reasons for not broadcasting the hearings online was to prevent witnesses from being publicly scrutinized. He urged the media and public to remain rational and refrain from forming premature opinions.
Furthermore, under questioning from the senior government lawyer, Sun Jing-gan, Lo mentioned that before notices were posted in the estate, they needed approval from the engineering consultant, Hong Yi, and the consent of the homeowners’ incorporated owners’ committee. Representatives would visit the management office to stamp the notices before they were displayed. However, she acknowledged that the “fire safety device shutdown notice” was not posted in the lobby but mentioned there were notifications regarding the placement of fire extinguishers.
Regarding early notifications for the engineering consultant to inspect the site by the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) of the Buildings Department, Lo stated that Hong Yi had mentioned an ICU staff member would visit the following week, although there was no record of ICU visits in the management office. Email records presented during the hearing showed that an ICU representative named “Amanda Lau” had emailed both Hong Yi and Zhi Bang on May 29th last year, scheduling a visit to Hong Fu Court on June 3rd at 10:30 in the morning.
Testifying at the hearing today was Chung Shui-ha, the daily shift leader at Hung Cheung Court. She reported not seeing workers smoking but once noticed a worker with a cigarette in his mouth. Upon reminding him, he claimed it was unlit. She also mentioned not observing cigarette butts on the ground during her patrols. Chung could oversee the location of fire hydrants during her patrols, mentioning that the hydrants were usually locked, and she did not see workers congregating there.
When the fire broke out, Chung stated she knew about the fire and proceeded to inspect the scene. She attempted to trigger the fire alarm on the 1st and 3rd floors, but it did not ring. Due to the thick smoke hindering her progress to higher levels, she could only go down and during that time, she shouted and knocked on doors to alert residents. Responding to residents’ skepticism about their immediate evacuation from the scene, she emphasized that she and her colleagues stayed until the end before evacuating.
Today, the carpenter from “Zhi Bang,” Li Cheng-fu, testified that the engineering department held the keys to the fire pump rooms that could open eight buildings. Access to the pump rooms required workers from “Hong Ye” to register with the management office and borrow another key held by the staff for safekeeping.
Li mentioned that upon receiving the work order for draining the fire-fighting water tank, he understood that only personnel with a fire license could handle the fire equipment. He consulted his colleague, an electrician named Lo Kwok-yui, who responded, “Once I receive the work order, I will proceed with it.” Li also noted his awareness that the pump rooms had a “knife switch” but was unaware that turning it off would shut down the entire fire system.
Additionally, Li recalled discovering two to three months before the fire that the pump rooms, which should have been locked, were not secured. He believed it was related to workers from “Hong Ye” and reported it to them, with assurances from their end to follow up on the matter.
Electrician Lo Kwok-yui also testified today, stating that he held an electrician’s license and was responsible for electrical-related work. He acknowledged knowing that only professionals should handle fire equipment and that it should be managed by the contractor. In response to Li Cheng-fu’s testimony, he explained that before addressing Li’s concerns, he consulted with Lo Sin-ying, who issued the work order on behalf of “Hong Ye,” regarding the need to drain water. When asked why he knowingly proceeded with the incorrect procedure, he cited concerns about potential reprimands.
Moreover, Lo Kwok-yui revealed that he was the one who had shut off all the control switches in the fire pump room for the eight buildings at Hong Fu Court. He understood that powering down the switches would cause a blackout but was unaware of its impact on the fire alarm system simultaneously.