A probe into the Wang Fuk Court inferno was told on Friday that the main contractor of the renovation works there appeared to have used fire-resistant foam boards along with ones that were not.

On the second day of hearings, the independent committee's senior counsel, Victor Dawes, continued his opening remarks by discussing how foam boards – used to shield windows at the residential estate's eight blocks – had affected the spread of the deadly fire.

He said there is evidence showing that the contractor, Prestige Construction and Engineering, first proposed using the foam boards at a meeting in mid-2024.

Another consultant, Will Power, pointed out that foam is flammable, but its proposal of using plywood was shot down by Prestige, which argued foam boards could do a better job at protecting windows.

Dawes cited evidence collected by the police as showing that order records have indicated the older foam boards used were not fire resistant.

The hearing was also told that the Wang Fuk Court owners' management corporation had received complaints about the use of non-fire resistant materials, and Prestige then said it would purchase new foam boards.

Dawes inferred that the contractor had purchased new and more expensive fire-resistant foam boards which were used in places where non-fire resistant ones had not been installed.

The barrister also said some residents had raised their concerns about the use of foam boards to the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit, which carries out site safety audit checks.

He said the FSD had inspected the estate in September 2024 and discovered there were many foam boards, but closed the case, saying that it is not the department's role to deal with the issue.

However, Dawes noted that fire safety laws indicate the department has to provide advice over fire safety measures and fire hazards when necessary.

He added the committee will continue to give more evidence on whether it thinks the department's response was appropriate or not.

Before proceedings began on Friday, committee chair Justice David Lok noted that many people have jumped to conclusions after the first day of hearings.

He stressed that the act of making public the evidence related to the Wang Fuk fire is to allow parties being probed to respond.

The judge said even though he understood people's feelings about the matter, they should remain objective.
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Last updated: 2026-03-20 HKT 13:43


Edited by Aaron Tam