Tai Po fire hearing: estate management staff tearfully reject failure to help claims
Property management clerk denies failure to help as inquiry probes fire alarm deactivation linked to 168 deaths.
The seventh session of the independent inquiry into Hong Kong's devastating Tai Po fire focused on property management firm ISS EastPoint, with clerk Lok Sin-ying resuming her testimony. The November 2025 blaze at Wang Fuk Court raged for approximately 43 hours through seven of eight towers, resulting in 168 fatalities and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Lok, stationed at the estate, tearfully rejected claims of failure to help while acknowledging she handled shutdown notices but was unaware the fire alarm system had been deactivated.
Lead counsel Victor Dawes SC identified the alarm deactivation as one of six critical factors behind the tragedy. The inquiry revealed ISS EastPoint had not inspected fire systems since March 2025, and authorized votes used in estate ballots were never verified. Wednesday's hearing scheduled additional ISS employees—including a building attendant, technical officer, carpenter, and electrician—to testify as investigators piece together systemic failures in safety protocols and emergency response that contributed to Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades.
- 168 people killed and nearly 5,000 displaced in 43-hour blaze at Wang Fuk Court
- ISS EastPoint clerk testified she handled shutdown notices but was unaware fire alarms were deactivated
- Fire systems had not been inspected since March 2025, with verified ballots also lacking proper authorization
Why It Matters
Reveals critical failures in property management safety protocols with devastating human costs, prompting scrutiny of regulatory enforcement.