Widower in deadly Tai Po fire slams Hong Kong gov’t for ‘evading responsibility’

2026-03-30 - 12:43

A Hong Kong man who lost his wife in the deadly Tai Po fire in November has criticised the government for “evading responsibility,” telling a public inquiry that it failed to reflect on “deep-rooted bad habits.” Wang Fuk Court resident Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the massive blaze in November 2025, testifies during a public hearing into the fire on March 30, 2026. Photo: Hans Tse/HKFP. Yip Ka-kui, a Wang Fuk Court resident whose wife died in the massive blaze that broke out on November 26, testified before an independent committee on Monday. He expressed his hope that the public inquiry could reveal the truth behind the blaze and seek justice for residents. The inquiry heard that the couple was at home in Wang Tai House when the fire broke out at the adjacent Wang Cheong House. CCTV footage showed Yip entering a 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, urging her to leave. Within minutes, the blaze spread and the front door at Wang Tai House was caught in the fire, Yip recalled. He called his wife the second time, urging her to stay inside for rescue, which became the last conversation between the couple. Authorities found his wife’s body two days later, according to his testimony. Meanwhile, Yip heard from neighbours on the same floor that his wife had spent time knocking on doors to notify other residents of the fire. “It was a simple act that I believe every one of our neighbours would have done,” he said in Cantonese. ‘Do less, err less’ Yip said that, during previous sessions of the public inquiry, he heard many residents expressing a sense of guilt. “I also feel that I didn’t do enough. Perhaps, if I had called my wife a minute earlier, she would have been safe,” he told the hearing. “But I also saw [during the inquiry] that the people who should bear responsibility spared no effort to evade them,” he said. “The government’s counsel made me feel that some deep-rooted bad habits – such as adhering to the old playbook and the usual procedure, or claiming that the law doesn’t require [action] – are still the standards for civil servants.” The entrance to the City Gallery in Central, where a public inquiry into the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po is held, on March 26, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Calling the bureaucracy’s culture “Do less, err less,” he said: “If this doesn’t change, how do you give residents a proper explanation?” Yip said that, in February 2025, he and some residents filed 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 the URA – which facilitates urban redevelopment by providing subsidies – urged them to take their complaint to the consultant firm overseeing the renovation, saying the matter fell outside its remit, Yip said, citing the account of the estate management committee at that time. “The issue is that the consultant firm was the subject of our complaint,” he said. “What can we do if you ask us to go back to them?” In response, lawyers for the URA told the inquiry that the authority had provided a written reply to residents following the complaint, which addressed some of the residents’ concerns. That emailed reply may be submitted as evidence later, they said. Complaints to FSD Also testifying on Monday, Wang Tai House resident Lam Yin-ming, who lived next to the Yips, said it was Mrs Yip who alerted her to the blaze and urged her to leave. “This shouldn’t 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 of his parents in the blaze, testified that he had contacted the Fire Services Department (FSD) twice about potential fire risks after the renovation contractor installed foam boards to protect windows from falling debris at the housing estate. Wang Fuk Court resident So Hiu-fung, who lost both parents in the massive fire in November 2025, testifies at a public hearing into the blaze on March 30, 2026. Photo: Hans Tse/HKFP. Recordings of the two calls So had made to the department were played during Monday’s hearing, in which FSD officers said there was no fire safety regulation covering construction materials used to protect windows. In the second call, the officer urged So to contact the Buildings Department, which oversees construction safety. So said he hoped the inquiry could “plug the holes” in the current regulatory system. “No one wants a tragedy like this to happen again,” he said. “People should learn a lesson.”