Supplier says subcontractor ordered non-fire-retardant nets before Tai Po blaze

A scaffolding subcontractor at Hong Kong's Wang Fuk Court estate, Gain Profit Shed Industry, had ordered non-fire-retardant protective nets from Lam Kee Construction Materials before the deadly blaze, according to documents released by an independent committee investigating the fire's causes. The use of substandard mesh was identified as a key factor in the rapid spread of the fire, which killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents in November.

The nets were replaced after Typhoon Wipha in July and again after Typhoon Ragasa in September, following instructions from the main contractor, Prestige Construction and Engineering. Gain Profit placed orders for both non-fire-retardant nets and fire-retardant nets, but the latter batch was the only one sold to them, according to Lam Kee's submission.

The Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit inspected net samples taken from the estate and found no specific concerns, but later officials reversed their position on the fire-retardant performance of the scaffolding nets used at Wang Fuk Court.