Fire Chief Talks About Problems in a Big Fire
Introduction
A committee is looking at a fire in November 2025. The fire was at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. 168 people died. The fire chief, Andy Yeung, talked to the committee. He said there were problems between different groups before. Now there are clear rules for each group.
Main Body
The committee asked about the jobs of the fire department and the building department. They talked about foam boards and open spaces in stairs during building work. A lawyer talked about a court case. In that case, a storage company said the fire department could not give a letter about fire danger. The court said the fire department can give advice about fire safety. Chief Yeung said before, the two groups needed to work together more. Now they have clear jobs. Both groups can act on foam boards and open stairs. They must work together before they take action. The fire department is making new laws. A new law will be ready next month. They are also making changes: they check shutdown notices more carefully, they added 30 new phone lines for emergencies (30 more are coming), and they are testing a new system to send fire trucks. Earlier, another fire officer said there were problems: falling things blocked doors, and water pumps did not work. Another officer said they did not use the system to warn people because it was not right. But he said they should have called a bigger alarm sooner. The committee leader said the building department may not see all fire dangers. Chief Yeung said if groups do too many jobs, their work can mix. He said the fire department checks fire equipment, and the building department checks building safety.
Conclusion
The committee is still looking at how groups work together. The fire chief wants clearer laws and better ways to work. He also says the groups should keep their own jobs.