An inquiry hearing into the cause of the Wang Fuk Court inferno heard on Thursday the first-hand account of how a resident had broken through cordon lines to seek help for his household trapped in one of the burning buildings, only to be told by firefighters that the situation was too difficult for any rescue attempt to be mounted.

Lee Chun-ho told the independent committee he and his family members had lived in Wang Tai House for four decades and that he lost his mother, his older brother, his 15-month-old niece and their domestic helper in the blaze.

Once he found out about the blaze, Lee said he tried to rush home from work to try and save them but the building had already been sealed off.

Lee said he kept in contact with his household throughout their ordeal and that his mother told him that they had called the police and asked why there were no fire alarm or sirens.

In a video call, he recalled seeing his brother hugging his niece while shaking the mother and the helper to try and stop them from losing consciousness.

Lee said he broke through cordon lines as night fell to ask the on-site fire command centre to help.

Firefighters told him they'd received eight requests for help from his flat, but that conditions were too difficult for firefighters to reach the 19th floor.

Another resident, Danny Fung, who lost his mother in the fire, said he had seen many times that fire-safety doors at Wang Tai House were not properly closed before the blaze.

Days before the inferno, he went to Prestige's on-site office to try and tell its safety officer that the fire door to the roof had been left open.

Fung said he couldn't find the officer – the fifth time that had happened.

He also said DAB district councillor Peggy Wong, a consultant to the former Wang Fuk Court owners' corporation, had brought along a group of people with her to owners' meetings "to influence residents" on the decision over the choice of contractors for the estate's major renovations.

At the meeting that approved Prestige to become the main contractor, Fung said he saw members of Wong's team queuing up to collect proxy votes and voting forms.


Edited by Edmond Fong