Hong Kong Wang Fuk Court has been engulfed in a level 5 fire for over a week, leaving residents unable to return home. Some residents claim that just before evacuating on the afternoon of November 26, they had raised suspicions of corner-cutting by the contractor and confronted them. Residents are calling for an independent committee to investigate government negligence.
A female resident living in Wang Tai House recalls moving into her unit in December 1983 when the apartment price was over HK$140,000. For the current major renovation, she is required to pay HK$180,000 for her unit, which she finds exorbitant. The final payment of approximately HK$26,000 for the renovation was originally scheduled for January 2, 2026.
“We question what we are paying for now? You have even burned down our homes, so compensate us quickly,” she expressed frustration. She pointed out that they were forced to undergo repairs without much time to choose, discuss, or negotiate, as all decisions were made by the corporation, and residents were simply tasked with footing the bill.
She is dissatisfied with the quality of the repairs, citing examples such as unevenly laid bricks on the windowsill with “a gap between every five bricks.” On the day of the fire at 2 pm, she still asked the contractor to inspect her home. Concerned about potential water leakage, she questioned how the issue would be addressed if it seeped into her walls. The contractor assured her they would seal it with glue, to which she skeptically remarked, “Kindly, you should lay more bricks.” The contractor left at 2:30 pm, and shortly after she prepared to sleep, she learned of the disaster.
She had previously informed the contractor about the uneven brickwork, to which they promised to make separate arrangements later.
More than a week later, she still trembles with fear. She recounted that during the major renovation, every three floors in Wang Tai House had the position of the original glass windows broken, creating a door with a hole for workers to access the exterior walls. She believes this door allowed thick smoke to enter the stairwell, making it pitch black from the 6th to the 3rd floor, where visibility was non-existent, and the smoke made it difficult to breathe, almost causing her to faint. However, by the time she reached the 3rd floor, it was clear without any fire or smoke.
She believes the main reasons for the disaster were the lack of sounding fire alarms, followed by the absence of canopy nets and the door in the stairwell.
She mentioned that during the fire alarm, they only learned about it because a security guard knocked on their door, and fortunately, she still saw that security guard the next day, describing them as a lifesaver.
She also mentioned a longstanding acquaintance who reported that a couple living on the 27th floor perished in the fire. Initially, she denied it, as she saw the couple after successfully evacuating, but later learned that they might have returned to retrieve belongings and never made it back. She sadly stated, “Another stay-at-home wife upstairs died, my neighbor’s mother-in-law died, I know at least six or seven who have left.”
Furthermore, she mentioned a neighbor living on the 4th floor who remained in the unit on the day of the fire, hiding in the bathroom with the tap water running. They endured until past 7:00 pm when firefighters rescued them. Due to smoke inhalation, the neighbor had to be treated at Eastern District Hospital with appropriate equipment and was only discharged yesterday (3rd).
Chief Executive Li Jiachao did not establish an independent investigation committee for this fire incident but formed an “independent committee” instead.
Asked about the role of the independent committee, Mr. Zheng, a resident of Wang Cheong House, believes it should investigate government departments and contractors’ negligence, execution, and areas for improvement, questioning if the execution could be more rigorous.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of strict worker management by the contractor during the major renovations, citing concerns about the engineering craftsmanship and quality. He had also witnessed workers smoking during breaks underground and was displeased but hesitated to comment further, stating, “I won’t say anything about ethics.”
Venues:
– Hong Kong Wang Fuk Court
– Hong Kong Wang Tai House
– Hong Kong Wang Cheong House