Contractors must justify shutdowns under tighter scrutiny, fire chief tells Tai Po probe – as it happened
Andy Yeung tells committee that Fire Services Department will amend laws, tighten oversight of fire services installation contractors
The head of the Fire Services Department testified on the 19th day of evidential hearings looking at Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades – the most senior official to appear before the investigating committee so far.
Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin appeared before the independent committee on Friday to testify about the department’s operations before and during the inferno at Wang Fuk Court housing estate last November.
He admitted that fire and building authorities could have collaborated better to deal with fire safety risks at the Tai Po estate and said the department was seeking to amend legislation and tighten regulations overseeing fire services installation contractors.
He also conceded that the department should have taken control of the issue of polyfoam boards, rather than refer the matter to other agencies.
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Tang Wing-wah, assistant director for New Territories North and one of the commanders on site, testified before Yeung.
He recounted the challenges that firefighters faced, including falling debris that blocked the entrance to residential building Wang Cheong House, and the need to carry heavy portable pumps to increase the water pressure at higher levels, since the booster pumps across the estate’s eight blocks had been deactivated.
Two senior firefighters testified before the judge-led panel on Thursday, including Derek Armstrong Chan, one of Yeung’s deputies and the top commander on site during the fire.
The blaze, which broke out on November 26, 2025, engulfed all but one of the estate’s eight high-rise buildings, which were being renovated at the time.
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948 killed 168 people, including a firefighter, and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.
Chan defended his decision not to activate the government’s Emergency Alert System, saying it was “unsuitable for the incident”.
However, he conceded that the level four fire alarm should have been raised earlier so that more firefighters and equipment could arrive sooner.
Follow our live coverage as the hearing continues.
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