Tai Po probe: missed checks at Wang Fuk Court due to late notice of new guidelines – as it happened

At the ongoing independent committee hearing into Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, ICU senior maintenance surveyor Nick Yung testified that missed inspections at Wang Fuk Court were caused by late notification of new safety guidelines. The fire on November 26, 2025, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 during a facade renovation. The ICU, responsible for overseeing maintenance of government-built residential complexes, had been repeatedly criticised for failing to act on residents' complaints about flammable polyfoam boards and substandard scaffolding mesh at the Tai Po estate.

Yung's testimony followed that of colleague Andy Ku, who defended the ICU's practice of informing registered inspectors appointed by the owners' corporation ahead of checks—a practice slammed as 'tipping off' contractors. Ku argued that the inspector's presence was necessary to explain operations and follow up on complaints. The hearing continues to scrutinise systemic oversight failures, with the committee questioning why the ICU did not detect dangerous materials despite multiple warnings. The tragedy has sparked calls for reform in Hong Kong's public housing maintenance protocols.