Testimony by fire service officers shows departments had different prerogatives in handling complaints regarding Wang Fuk Court renovations
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenBrian WongandLeopold ChenPublished: 6:00pm, 22 Apr 2026A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has shed light on government departments’ confusion over their roles in supervising large-scale renovation projects, with a fire service official insisting his department was not responsible for handling complaints about flammable building materials because it lacked expertise in construction.
Michael Yung Kam-hung, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department, said on Wednesday it would not take legal action against breaches discovered during Wang Fuk Court’s exterior overhaul, as it could not ascertain which item or arrangement was essential to the project.
“We do not know how it would affect the project’s progress if we arbitrarily decide that certain materials cannot be used,” he told an independent committee investigating the disaster at the estate.
Yung also said there was a tacit understanding among departments about which department should be responsible for addressing fire safety concerns.
He conceded that such a division of labour was not based on any legal provision or policy instruction, but stressed that cooperation between official branches had been established over the years and each department was clear about its responsibilities.
The witness rejected the notion that authorities’ failure to take action against the temporary use of polyfoam boards to seal windows exposed a gap in law enforcement.
