The Memories of the Surrounding Residents about the Fire in Tai Po

Recalling the start of the fire, an elderly resident said she was alone at home, taking a nap, at that time. Hearing the alarm sound with smoke coming out, she immediately called the estate office for an inquiry and fled in panic. An Indian resident pointed out that she heard from her neighbours that the fire source was suspected to be caused by someone smoking and gradually spread to the whole scaffolding.

The No.5 Alarm Fire in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

Residents are waiting at the scene for upcoming information after escaping from their home, Photo by Bastille Post

The site of the fire, Wang Fuk Court is undergoing extensive repair currently. Eight buildings are surrounded by scaffolding. According to the website of the Incorporated Owners of Wang Fuk Court, as of the 10th of this month, the buildings are also undergoing interior wall painting, exterior wall plastering and spraying, and laying mosaic tiles.

Ms. Ng, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Ng, a resident of the No.3 Building, said that the incident occurred around 3 p.m. At that time, she was taking a nap in her house. Hearing the fire alarm sound with smoke coming out, she immediately called the estate office for inquiry. Realizing a fire accident was happening, she fled at once. "Hearing the fire alarm sound and seeing the smoke, I immediately decided to flee. Fortunately, I made the right choice." said by Ms. Ng.

Jaur Harjit, Photo by Bastille Post

Jaur Harjit, an Indian resident of the No.8 Building, pointed out that she, her husband and son were all inside the house when the incident happened. While her son was sleeping, her husband heard the alarm sound and noticed some smoke was coming out. Realizing it might be the signal of a fire accident, he fled immediately. "We are lucky enough to flee at the last minute," she said. It was the first time for her to encounter a fire alarm in Hong Kong. Even her daughter was very panicked about the situation. According to Jaur Harjit, she heard from her neighbours saying that the fire source was suspected to be caused by someone smoking and gradually spread to the whole scaffolding.

Mr. Wong, Photo by Bastille Post

The resident, Mr. Wong, said that he was worried and came back to check the situation of his home upon hearing the news of the fire alarm. Fortunately, all his family members were out working, and the fire just temporarily affected the building he lived in. He was still observing the scene with anxiety and would need to stay at his friend's home tonight.

Residents have been evacuated to the nearby area. Photo by Bastille Post

The resident, Mr. Gaan, said that he felt quite nervous about looking for his family. In his eyes, since the buildings had all been surrounded by scaffolding for extensive repair, "if there were workers smoking or any other situation just happened, it would catch fire easily." Some residents also said that the fire broke out first at Wang Cheong House, and then spread to Wang Sun House and Wang Tai House, with most of the units affected as well.

The community hall is now open to residents for shelter. Photo by Bastille Post

In its report, the Independent Committee on the Wang Fuk Court fire has put forward a series of immediate recommendations within the terms of reference of the various government departments. After analysis, the committee determined that the rapid spread of the fire at Wang Fuk Court was critically due to the use of combustible materials in temporary works, which created a continuous vertical fuel source. Evidence also showed that highly flammable foam boards were a key factor enabling the fire to spread between different units.

The committee suggested that the use of combustible materials, such as foam boards, on windows and external walls must be immediately prohibited. Photo source: reference image

In view of this, the committee has made multiple immediate recommendations. First, the use of combustible temporary materials, including foam boards, non-fire-retardant safety nets and plastic canvasses, must be immediately prohibited in light wells or related adjacent areas. Second, the storage of flammable temporary materials, wooden boards, or construction scaffolding materials above ground-floor exits must be immediately prohibited. In addition, the use of combustible materials, such as foam boards, on windows and external walls must be immediately prohibited.

The report also recommends an immediate prohibition on the creation of access openings in staircases and lift lobbies. If such openings cannot be avoided, then in accordance with the Buildings Department's circular letter of March this year, any opening in an escape staircase must be protected by a temporary fire barrier, and that barrier must have fire resistance performance equivalent to that of the original fire barrier. Meanwhile, all windows along escape routes must be fitted with fire-rated glass or fire-resistant glass meeting specified standards.

Wang Fuk Court. Photo source: reference image

The committee also noted that some older buildings retain staircase windows with upper sections that can be opened for ventilation, while lift lobbies also have openable windows. The committee recommends that, where the Government identifies similar designs, temporary warnings should be issued to ensure that these windows are kept closed; in the longer term, a review should be conducted to determine whether such designs should be replaced by sealed fire-rated windows.

In addition, the report recommends that, for large-scale maintenance involving more than one building, all external wall repairs must be carried out in phases.