A fire service contractor at Wang Fuk Court had applied to extend the shutdown of the estate's fire systems a total of 85 times during fire water tanks maintenance, an independent committee probing last November's inferno heard on Wednesday.

Under fire service regulations, a registered contractor is required to file a shutdown notice to the Fire Services Department (FSD) whenever maintenance or inspection work requiring the suspension of fire safety systems is expected to last for more than 24 hours.

An extension of fire system shutdown has to be made every 14 days.
 
In a written statement to the committee, Leung Ping-kay, director of China Status Development and Engineering, stated that his company "duly submitted extension applications for the continued shutdown of the fire system" whenever Prestige Construction and Engineering — the main contractor for renovation works at Wang Fuk Court — informed them that extra time was needed for the water tanks maintenance work.
 
Leung told the inquiry on Wednesday that neither he nor any of his staff visited Wang Fuk Court during the shutdown period.
 
The committee’s senior counsel, Victor Dawes, described the practice as a "rubber stamp" exercise, saying that China Status simply followed whatever instructions Prestige provided.
 
Leung explained he had always believed Prestige was a registered fire service contractor, which was why his company did not conduct on-site inspections.
 
The inquiry also presented messages from a three-person WhatsApp group formed among Leung, a clerk from China Status and a representative from Prestige Construction and Engineering.
 
The clerk from China Status would send a copy of each shutdown notice to the group as an archive every time an extension was filed with the FSD.

After being told in the group by the Prestige representative that more time was needed for maintenance, the clerk prepared the documentation for October 31, 2025 through January 25, 2026 in advance.

When asked by Dawes why he failed to question Prestige on the reasons for the extended shutdown, Leung said the firm had told him "someone" would handle the matter.

Under repeated questioning by Dawes, Leung said "yes" when asked if his company should bear responsibility for the fire alarm system's failure to operate on the day of the inferno.
 
The hearing is set to continue on Friday, during which Keung Sai-ming, Assistant Director of the Fire Services Department, is expected to testify, marking the first government official to do so in the inquiry.


Edited by Tony Sabine