An elderly survivor of the fatal Tai Po fire has lauded the firefighters who saved her from the burning estate and retrieved a victim’s body, telling a public inquiry into the blaze that the city should be “proud” of them. Wang Fuk Court resident Sin Sin-hing talks to journalists while attending a public hearing into the deadly Tai Po fire on March 26, 2026. Photo: HKFP. Sin Sin-hing, an 85-year-old Wang Fuk Court resident, testified on Thursday about her rescue from the massive fire on November last year that killed 168 people, including a firefighter . Judge David Lok, chair of an independent committee presiding over the hearings, called her story “extraordinary” and a source of “positive energy amid such a tragic event.”
Sin’s story was first reported by news outlet The Witness. She recounted during Thursday’s hearing that, as smoke gradually encroached on her 14th-floor flat, she used fans to vent fumes outside.
She recalled that she “called 999 [emergency hotline] for 10 or eight times,” before firefighters arrived. “I was luckier than the previous lady as I got through every single time,” she said in Cantonese. Sin was referring to Wong Ka-yuen, the first Wang Fuk Court resident to alert authorities to the fire, who recounted that she got a busy signal at her first attempt to call 999.
‘Pride of Hong Kong’
Sin, who lived on the 14th floor of Wang Tai House, said she once lost her temper with a duty officer on the phone due to stress, but later, a police officer with a calming voice told her to pay attention to a “beep” sound outside.
When four firefighters eventually reached her flat, they asked why the room was clear of smoke and gave her a “thumbs-up” after she told them her method, Sin recalled.
She also said firefighters told her they had to evacuate on foot and that there was a “big doll” lying on the 12th floor – only later did she realise they were referring to a victim’s body.
As they reached the 12th floor, firefighters told her she was safe while two of them stopped to carry the body, she said. Judge David Lok, the chair of an independent committee tasked with investigating the deadly Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, leaves a public hearing on March 26, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “I am still very touched, and I think Hong Kong should be proud to have such professional firefighters,” she said.
“Although I may not live long, I will remember this episode as long as I live. They [the firefighters] are the pride of Hong Kong.”
In response, Lok told the octogenarian that she was also the pride of Hong Kong for her creative self-help method in such a dangerous situation.
“Your testimony will not only help us, but it will also bring some positive energy to Hong Kong despite this being such a tragedy. I think you are extraordinary,” he said.
Thursday’s hearing also heard testimony from retiree George Cheung, also a Wang Tai House resident, who, along with his wife, sheltered a neighbour with a disability until firefighters rescued them.
Cheung recalled falling into despair as the trio waited for hours in a blacked-out flat, with thickening smoke and only a single bucket of water.
When firefighters finally arrived, he thought he “saw five to six angels with halos on their heads,” said Cheung, a Christian. “I later realised those were the headlamps on their helmets.”
Cigarette packs, workers smoking
The retiree also said he had complained about the massive scale of the renovation project at Wang Fuk Court and the risk of installing combustible foam boards on the windows. He told the hearing he had seen empty cigarette packs on the bamboo scaffolding outside his flat, but Prestige Construction & Engineering, the main contractor for the renovation, shrugged off his complaint.
The tragedy had traumatised him and his wife, both of whom could not continue their part-time work after the blaze, he said, adding that he is seeing a psychiatrist.
But he also expressed a wish for Wang Fuk Court residents to “pull through” the challenges ahead and for the committee to discover the truth behind the tragedy. Wang Fuk Court resident Elsie Ng attends a public hearing into the deadly Tai Po fire on March 26, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Three Wang Cheong House residents recalled seeing workers smoking at the housing estate during the renovation. The inquiry previously heard that an investigative task force concluded that smoking was the “most likely” cause of the blaze.
Elsie Ng said she smelled cigarette smoke after workers started working on the scaffolding outside her flat, while Wong – who called 999 – recalled a similar experience.
Joe Chan said he saw workers smoking at work twice, including one time on the ground. Chan did not specify the location of the second alleged incident. Wang Fuk Court resident Phyllis Lo attends a public hearing into the deadly Tai Po fire on March 26, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Phyllis Lo, whose mother died in the blaze, also testified on Thursday. She said she expected the public inquiry would unravel why the fire spread so rapidly and hold those responsible accountable.
“Many residents have blamed themselves for not doing enough during the fire,” she said. “Perhaps the government departments and the construction firms involved can do more now?”
The hearing resumes on Monday.