The Buildings Department (BD) did not conduct flammability tests on the scaffold nets covering Wang Fuk Court before the housing estate was struck by a deadly fire last year, an official has told a public inquiry into the blaze. Foam boards used to seal windows are visible in a Wang Fuk Court building in Tai Po after the deadly fire. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The BD’s assistant director for mandatory building inspection, Karen Cheung, testified on Monday that her department “mainly” relied on fire retardancy certificates submitted by contractors and did not conduct on-site or laboratory tests, local media reported .
“In terms of scaffolding nets, we really had not conducted tests before,” Cheung said. In response to questions from Victor Dawes, lead counsel for the inquiry, she said that the department would check where the certificates originated and whether they were recognised in Hong Kong.
Substandard scaffolding nets have been identified as one of the key factors contributing to the rapid spread of the fire in November. In the wake of the blaze, the authorities imposed lab testing requirements before the nets can be used on worksites.
Wang Fuk Court was undergoing major renovation when the fire broke out, killing 168 people and displacing thousands.
The independent committee tasked with investigating the blaze earlier heard that residents lodged complaints about possible fire hazards to authorities before the tragedy struck.
The complaints involved wooden boards installed to replace fireproof windows at emergency staircases so workers could access bamboo scaffolding, foam boards used to shield windows from falling debris, non-flame-retardant scaffold nets, and workers smoking. Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 10, 2025. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP. Cheung also confirmed that both the registered inspector and the contractor were responsible for submitting certificates and laboratory reports to ensure the nets meet flame-retardancy standards.
Purviews
The Building (Construction) Regulation empowers the BD to take action against works that cover windows with opaque materials, including foam boards, for long periods, the official also said, but government housing complexes like Wang Fuk Court are outside its purview. As a government-subsidised housing complex, Wang Fuk Court fell under the remit of the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU), Cheung told the hearing.
However, senior ICU surveyor Andy Ku said in a written submission presented at a hearing last week that the unit had no power to regulate “temporary construction materials.” At the same hearing last week , Michael Yung, assistant director of fire safety at the Fire Services Department, said that fire hazards such as substandard scaffold netting, flammable foam boards, and workers smoking on site fell outside the FSD’s purview.
Under a secondment mechanism to ensure consistency, the BD can send senior staff to the ICU to assist with inspections, according to a document shown at Monday’s hearing.
But Cheung told Dawes that the BD did not conduct any inspections on Prestige Construction & Engineering Company, the maintenance contractor at Wang Fuk Court, and Will Power Architects, the consultancy firm overseeing the works at the estate.