Hong Kong building authorities face scrutiny at Wang Fuk Court fire inquiry

Hong Kong building authorities have come under scrutiny at an inquiry into the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire, after a former inspection director said the old supervision system had created a blind spot.

Rudolf Lau Fu-kwok, who headed the Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit when the fire broke out last November, said the team had followed outdated guidelines and had not carried out on-site audits of renovation works at the estate.

He said the earlier mechanism relied on engineering firms to regulate themselves and on residents reporting suspected malpractice.

Lau acknowledged this could leave authorities unaware of risks if residents did not know what to look for.

The hearing is examining oversight of renovation work at Wang Fuk Court, where illegal alterations to emergency staircases were cited in the evidence as an example of a problem that may not have triggered complaints.

Lau denied that the unit had failed to discharge its duties, saying it had focused resources on high-risk procedures during major construction work and had overlooked some smaller projects.

He said the unit exercised powers delegated by the Buildings Department and had tried to follow departmental standards.

The fire began on 26 November last year while the estate was undergoing repairs required under the mandatory building inspection scheme.

It spread to seven of the eight blocks and burned for around 43 hours.

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