twenty ninth November 2025 – (Hong Kong) The lethal fireplace at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has unsettled residents at different estates present process main exterior repairs, with issues centered on scaffolding sheeting and foam boards used to seal home windows — supplies preliminarily suspected of accelerating the inferno’s unfold. At Sui Wo Court in Fo Tan, Sha Tin, the house owners’ company chair, Leung Po-leng, stated on Friday that the refurbishment which started in September 2023, initially slated for completion this June, is now anticipated to be delayed by a 12 months.
Leung careworn that the protecting netting in use is compliant, noting steady inspections by related authorities departments. She added the house owners’ company had required the contractor, Fulam Building Engineering Firm Restricted, to acquire certification from Swiss testing chief SGS. The Fireplace Providers Division, she stated, collected additional samples of the netting on Thursday for laboratory evaluation.
Block C at Sui Wo Court has begun dismantling its scaffolding solely as a result of works there have concluded, Leung stated, including she’s going to meet the contractor to discover whether or not netting will be eliminated earlier on different blocks. One choice below dialogue is to strip scaffolding after plastering is completed and change to gondola platforms for portray.
Regardless of the assurances, some residents concern a repeat of the Wang Fuk Court catastrophe and are urgent for the quick removal of scaffolding, saying they may solely really feel protected as soon as all short-term works are taken down.
In response to safety issues — together with allegations that smoking on scaffolds could have sparked the Tai Po blaze — the contractor will introduce new measures requiring searches of staff earlier than they entry the scaffolding, with cigarettes and lighters strictly prohibited. The corporate introduced the foundations at a morning briefing on twenty seventh November. A reporting mechanism may also be launched: residents or staff who report scaffold smoking with photographic proof will obtain a HK$2,000 reward.
An emergency residents’ assembly at Sui Wo Court on Thursday night time drew almost 200 individuals, who questioned the administration firm and contractor in regards to the timetable for eradicating scaffolds and mesh, in addition to evacuation preparations.
Leung acknowledged progress has been unsatisfactory. She stated the year-long delay stems partly from the company rejecting the workmanship of one block on two events, requiring the contractor to redo the work. Whereas Block C’s removal is underway, the property’s remaining eight blocks stay encased in scaffolding. A discover indicated Block A would start dismantling on 28 November, however this had but to begin.
Some residents stay unconvinced. Ms Chow of Block A stated she skipped the assembly, calling previous gatherings unproductive and confrontational. Her home windows have been obscured by mesh for greater than two years. Even earlier than the Tai Po fireplace, she fearful the scaffolded façade posed a fireplace danger as a result of presence of flammable objects corresponding to foam boards and plastic drums, and stated she had seen staff smoking. She insisted she would solely really feel relaxed “as soon as all of the scaffolding is taken down.”
