Fire alarm, pump systems switched off before tragedy, Tai Po blaze panel told

Wong Kin-wa (right), an electrical worker for Victory Fire Engineering, testified on Monday.

Photo: Jelly Tse Fire alarm and firefighting pump systems at the housing estate engulfed in Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades were found to have been switched off a week before the tragedy struck, with no action taken to reactivate them, an evidential hearing has been told.

An independent committee investigating the Tai Po blaze, which broke out on November 26 last year and killed 168 people, on Monday also called on the public to provide information on whether systematic problems – such as collusion – had occurred in building maintenance works elsewhere and whether the tendering process involved bid rigging.

The judge-led panel, which was earlier told that at least two bid-rigging syndicates could be linked to the HK$336 million (US$43 million) renovation contract at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, continued to hear more irregularities concerning the troubled project on the fifth day of the public hearing.

Fire ravaged seven of the eight towers at Wang Fuk Court.

Photo: Sam Tsang Electrical worker Wong Kin-wa of the estate’s fire services equipment contractor, Victory Fire Engineering, said he had found that the main power switches for both the fire alarms and firefighting pumps for all eight of Wang Fuk Court’s blocks were turned off during a maintenance visit on November 19 last year.

The committee’s lead counsel, Victor Dawes, earlier identified deactivation of the fire alarm system as one of six “human factors” that led to the near-total failure of safety measures at Wang Fuk Court.

Wong said he found the situation surprising. “We believed it was necessary to study the reason behind it,” he said.

He recalled inquiring at the estate’s management office and asking for the shutdown notice, which must be submitted to the Fire Services Department, but staff failed to show it to him.

He was told the switches were shut off for renovation and water tank repair work, and that another fire services contractor had served the notices to the authorities.

Repairing the water tank would not normally require shutting off the main power switch, Wong said. “But they should be clear about what they shut down, so I did not ask further,” he said, conceding that his company did not follow up on the matter.

China Status Development and Engineering was the contractor that applied to deactivate the fire hydrant and hose reel system from April 7 to 20 last year, and ex

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